Abstract
Despite its use as a constituent layer for realization of a polar metal and interfacial conductivity, the microscopic study of electronic structure of CaTiO3 is still very limited. Here, we epitaxially stabilized CaTiO3 films on NdGaO3 (110) substrates in a layer-by-layer way by pulsed laser deposition. The structural and electronic properties of the films were characterized by reflection-high-energy-electron-diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and element-specific resonant X-ray absorption spectroscopy. To reveal the orbital polarization and the crystal field splitting of the titanium 3d state, X-ray linear dichroism was carried out on CaTiO3 films, demonstrating the orbital configuration of d(xz)/d(yz)<d(xy)<d(3z2-r2) < d(x2-y2). To further explore the origin of this configuration, we performed the first-principles density function theory calculations, which linked the orbital occupation to the on-site energy of Ti 3d orbitals. These findings can be important for understanding and designing exotic quantum states in heterostructures based on CaTiO3. Published by AIP Publishing.