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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jindata, Warakorn, Vo, Trung-Phuc, Jaisuk, Chutchawan, Mo, Sung-Kwan, Nguyen, Thanh-Tien, Minár, Ján, Meevasana, Worawat
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21783
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author Jindata, Warakorn
Vo, Trung-Phuc
Jaisuk, Chutchawan
Mo, Sung-Kwan
Nguyen, Thanh-Tien
Minár, Ján
Meevasana, Worawat
author_facet Jindata, Warakorn
Vo, Trung-Phuc
Jaisuk, Chutchawan
Mo, Sung-Kwan
Nguyen, Thanh-Tien
Minár, Ján
Meevasana, Worawat
contents In this work, we investigate and compare the electronic structures of SrTiO3 and KTaO3 under ultraviolet (UV) light induced electron doping. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), the evolution of the surface electronic structures of SrTiO3 and KTaO3 is systematically examined as a function of electron density. In contrast to KTaO3, SrTiO3 exhibits a pronounced shrinking of its surface bandgap by approximately 390 meV, accompanied by a counterintuitive shift of the valence band peak toward lower binding energies of up to 200 meV with increasing electron density. This anomalous behavior constitutes a spectroscopic signature of negative electronic compressibility (NEC). Density-functional-theory calculations provide qualitative support for the experimental observations. The calculations show that surface formation already reduces the apparent near-gap separation in SrTiO3, while additional electron accumulation further drives the slab toward a more metallic state; oxygen-vacancy models likewise produce strong bandgap reduction, identifying plausible mechanisms contributing to the observed surface bandgap shrinkage. These findings establish a direct spectroscopic link between bandgap engineering and the NEC effect at the SrTiO3 surface, highlighting the potential of SrTiO3 for next-generation oxide electronic, optoelectronic, and high-performance capacitive energy storage devices applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_21783
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Direct observation of surface bandgap shrinkage and negative electronic compressibility in SrTiO3
Jindata, Warakorn
Vo, Trung-Phuc
Jaisuk, Chutchawan
Mo, Sung-Kwan
Nguyen, Thanh-Tien
Minár, Ján
Meevasana, Worawat
Materials Science
In this work, we investigate and compare the electronic structures of SrTiO3 and KTaO3 under ultraviolet (UV) light induced electron doping. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), the evolution of the surface electronic structures of SrTiO3 and KTaO3 is systematically examined as a function of electron density. In contrast to KTaO3, SrTiO3 exhibits a pronounced shrinking of its surface bandgap by approximately 390 meV, accompanied by a counterintuitive shift of the valence band peak toward lower binding energies of up to 200 meV with increasing electron density. This anomalous behavior constitutes a spectroscopic signature of negative electronic compressibility (NEC). Density-functional-theory calculations provide qualitative support for the experimental observations. The calculations show that surface formation already reduces the apparent near-gap separation in SrTiO3, while additional electron accumulation further drives the slab toward a more metallic state; oxygen-vacancy models likewise produce strong bandgap reduction, identifying plausible mechanisms contributing to the observed surface bandgap shrinkage. These findings establish a direct spectroscopic link between bandgap engineering and the NEC effect at the SrTiO3 surface, highlighting the potential of SrTiO3 for next-generation oxide electronic, optoelectronic, and high-performance capacitive energy storage devices applications.
title Direct observation of surface bandgap shrinkage and negative electronic compressibility in SrTiO3
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21783