Research Update: Plentiful magnetic moments in oxygen deficient SrTiO3

Correlated band theory is employed to investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of different arrangements of oxygen di- and tri-vacancy clusters in SrTiO3. Hole and electron doping of oxygen deficient SrTiO3 yields various degrees of magnetization as a result of the interaction between localized magnetic moments at the defect sites. Different kinds of Ti atomic orbital hybridization are described as a function of the doping level and defect geometry. We find that magnetism in SrTiO3−δ is sensitive to the arrangement of neighbouring vacancy sites, charge carrier density, and vacancy-vacancy interaction. Permanent magnetic moments in the absence of vacancy doping electrons are observed. Our description of the charged clusters of oxygen vacancies widens the previous descriptions of mono- and multi-vacancies and points out the importance of the controlled formation at the atomic level of defects for the realization of transition metal oxide based devices with a desirable magnetic performance.