Magnetization generation and giant nonlinear transport at symmetry-engineered interfaces

Abstract Interfaces in heterostructures possess inherent inversion asymmetry and display diverse physical effects, however, the pristine in-plane mirror symmetries of the constituent layers are usually preserved at the interface. On-demand manipulation of these symmetries remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to control the in-plane mirror symmetries of interfaces by engineering the crystallographic orientation of heterostructures. We design a workhorse system with a new orientation, i.e., the LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterostructure with metallic interfaces in the (112)-plane. Such a high index orientation leads to the breaking of all the pristine mirror symmetries except the mirror plane perpendicular to the $$[1\bar{1}0]$$ [ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] direction ( $${M}_{[1\bar{1}0]}$$ M [ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] ), resulting in the C s point symmetry with a metallic conduction. Consequently, this interface exhibits a giant nonlinear Hall effect characterized by a large Berry curvature dipole, a circular photogalvanic effect, and current-induced out-of-plane magnetization, all functional at room temperature. The magnitude of the nonlinear Hall effect rivals the Weyl and Dirac systems. Our work establishes a new strategy in exploring emerging electronic properties with nontrivial quantum geometry by designing the interface symmetry.