When two different materials are joined together, not only do they possess their own properties, but also new functionalities emerge due to the interaction at the interface. In our laboratory, we are challenging to control molecular layers at the scale of a unit cell in order to design and create materials with the desired functionalities.

The characterizations of structure and physical properties of fabricated thin films are performed using various equipment such as thin-film X-ray diffractometers, scanning probe microscope and ferroelectric tester. Our aim is to create new materials which exhibit new physical properties that cannot be obtained with existing materials.

Materials generally possess defects. In our laboratory, we are interested in boundaries which are known as the topological defects. It is becoming clear that the physics at the boundaries are completely different from the macroscopic properties or structures of materials. We perform non-destructive 3D measurements of exotic properties and structures at the boundaries by using a ultrashort pulsed laser. We also aim to control the properties that occur at the boundaries by using an external field. This approach is expected to dramatically improve the performance of existing materials.