Magnetic contacts on freestanding superconducting LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ micromembranes

Abstract

The superconducting two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO-STO) interface is a promising platform for superconducting spintronics, however, integrating ferromagnetic contacts with the superconducting 2DEG remains challenging. Here, we realize superconducting LAO-STO micromembrane devices contacted by ferromagnetic nickel contacts through a side-contact geometry. Low-temperature transport measurements demonstrate that superconductivity is preserved in the presence of the ferromagnetic contacts. We show that the superconducting state is strongly influenced by the magnetic history of the nickel contacts, which generates a tunable effective magnetic field in the 2DEG. Through an effective field model, the magnetization of the contacts can be inferred from the maximum superconducting response. Our results establish ferromagnetically contacted LAO-STO as a platform for future investigations of spin injection into oxide superconductors and provide a route towards superconducting spintronic devices based on complex oxide interfaces.