The Materials Science of Functional Oxide Thin Films

Research in the area of functional oxides has progressed from study of their basic chemistry and structure to the point at which an enormous range of desirable properties are being explored for potential applications. The primary limitation on exploitation is the difficulty of achieving sufficiently precise control of the properties because of the range of possible defects in such materials and the remarkably strong effect of such defects on the properties. This review outlines the reasons underlying this sensitivity and recent results that demonstrate the levels of control which are now possible. Much of the potential of functional oxides lies in the tuneability of their properties. Here we review novel properties that precision thin‐film growth has revealed, and the extent that these properties can be coupled at interfaces. For example, the figure shows an ordered nanocomposite structure with three‐dimensional epitaxial registration; the internal strains in such structures can be used to modify bulk properties of oxides.