Enhancing the electron mobility of SrTiO3 with strain

We demonstrate, using high-mobility SrTiO3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy, that stress has a pronounced influence on the electron mobility in this prototype complex oxide. Moderate strains result in more than 300% increases in the electron mobilities with values exceeding 120 000 cm(2)/V s and no apparent saturation in the mobility gains. The results point to a range of opportunities to tailor high-mobility oxide heterostructure properties and open up ways to explore oxide physics. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3571447]