Electronic and optical properties of La-doped Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ epitaxial thin-films

Abstract: We have investigated structural, transport, and optical properties of tensile strained (Sr$_{1-x}$La$_x$)$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05) epitaxial thin-films. While High-T$_c$ superconductivity is predicted theoretically in the system, we have observed that all of the samples remain insulating with finite optical gap energies and Mott variable-range hopping characteristics in transport. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy indicates that structural defects such as stacking faults appear in this system. The insulating behavior of the La-doped Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ thin-films is presumably due to disorder-induced localization and ineffective electron-doping of La, which brings to light the intriguing difference between epitaxial thin films and bulk single crystals of the iridates.