Electronic confinement at nanoscale dimensions remains a central means of science and technology. In this talk, I will describe a recent breakthrough that enables us to create extreme nanoscale electronic confinement at the interface between two normally insulating oxides, LaAlO₃ and SrTiO₃. Using a conducting atomic-force-microscope probe, we can create nanoscale conducting islands, nanowires, tunnel junctions and field-effect transistors, all with spatial dimensions comparable to the diameter of a single-wall carbon nanotube (~2 nm). These structures can be modified or erased without complex or irreversible lithographic procedures. This new, on-demand nanoelectronics platform has the potential for widespread technological application.

Host:  Robert Bartynski