Fig. 1: Schematic in situ co-sputtering thin-film deposition.
From: Searching for a route to synthesize in situ epitaxial Pr2Ir2O7 thin films with thermodynamic methods
In the actual experiment, Pr2Ir2O7 and IrO2 targets are simultaneously sputtered, (a). The details are included in Supplementary Fig. 2. The condensation of the vapor species is key to the thin-film synthesis, (b). By synthesizing epitaxial Pr2Ir2O7 thin films, we can tailor the properties based on breaking the cubic symmetry. The strong spin–orbital coupling, originating from the Ir, opens paths toward a new generation of spintronics based on frustrated antiferromagnetic (AFM) conductors.
