Onset of metallic behavior in strained (LaNiO3)n/(SrMnO3)2 superlattices

(LaNiO3)(n)/(SrMnO3)(2) superlattices were grown using ozone-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and x-ray scattering has been used to characterize the structural properties of the superlattices, which are strained to the SrTiO3 substrates. The superlattices exhibit excellent crystallinity and interfacial roughness of less than 1 unit cell. A metal-insulator transition is observed as n is decreased from 4 to 1. Analysis of the transport data suggests an evolution from gapped insulator (n=1) to hopping conductor (n=2) to metal (n=4) with increasing LaNiO3 concentration.