Tuning the carrier density of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces by capping La1−xSrxMnO3

We present a systematical study on the electronic transport properties of the insulating LaAlO3 (3 unit cells)/SrTiO3 interfaces capping with thin layers of La1−xSrxMnO3, whose formal polarization is continually tuned by Sr doping. When the Sr doping is lower than 2/3, the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces show metallic behaviors. The carrier mobility is almost independent on the Sr doping for metallic interface, indicating that the capping layer does not change the density of the oxygen vacancies and the interface intermixing. However, the sheet carrier densities monotonically decrease as increasing Sr doping, which is ascribed to the decrease of the La1−xSrxMnO3 formal polarization. These results strongly support the intrinsic mechanism of the polar catastrophe model and provide a new approach to tailor the interface states of complex oxide heterostructures.