Abstract: We report first-principles characterization of the structural and electronic properties of ðSrTiO3Þ5=ðSrRuO3Þ1 superlattices. We show that the system exhibits a spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas, extremely confined to the 4d orbitals of Ru in the SrRuO3 layer. Every interface in the superlattice behaves as a minority-spin half-metal ferromagnet, with a magnetic moment of
¼ 2:0
B=SrRuO3 unit. The shape of the electronic density of states, half-metallicity, and magnetism are explained in terms of a simplified tight-binding model, considering only the t2g orbitals plus (i) the bidimensionality of the system and (ii) strong electron correlations.

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