'Designer defects' - A new approach to functional oxide interfaces

The conventional approach to metal oxide interfaces is 'perfection at all costs' with growth tuned to minimize defects and unwanted chemical intermixing. Here, we turn this approach on its head; creating interfaces with 'designer defects' that become the critical portion of a functional device. We propose that one can promote functionality by making use of new physical properties that arise from the deliberate introduction of structural and electronic mismatches at an interface. Such purposely induced 'designer defects' in epitaxial oxide thin films will allow new properties to be achieved in nanoscale layers. This will lead to a new class of functional materials to be used in sensors and nanoelectronics.