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Lippmaa Lab
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A lab that builds oxides one atomic layer at a time to explore the properties unique to thin films.
AboutAbout the lab
Stacking atomic layers to create new oxides.
The Lippmaa Lab studies how to fabricate thin films of transition metal oxides and what properties they have.
Using pulsed laser deposition, in which a laser strikes a material so that it is ablated and deposited onto a substrate, the lab grows thin films with precision down to a single atomic layer.
The lab creates structures that stack oxides with different properties, as well as nanoscale structures, and investigates phenomena that appear at surfaces and interfaces.
The lab is also working on automating thin-film fabrication by searching for synthesis conditions with Bayesian optimization.
Key terms
- Transition metal oxide
- A compound of oxygen and a transition metal such as iron, titanium, or manganese. It shows a wide range of properties, including magnetism and superconductivity.
- Pulsed laser deposition
- A method of making thin films by striking a material with an intense laser to vaporize it and letting the resulting particles deposit onto a substrate.
- Interface
- The boundary where two different materials meet. Properties that differ from those of the interior can appear there.
- Bayesian optimization
- A method that uses past results to statistically choose the next conditions to try, finding the best conditions with few trials.
ResearchResearch themes
All of the lab's research deals with thin films of transition metal oxides. The lab shapes various oxides, such as photocatalysts and magnetic materials, into ultrathin layers, stacked structures, and nanostructures, and investigates their properties.
*Illustrative imageFabrication of oxide thin films
Using pulsed laser deposition, the lab grows various oxides on single-crystal substrates. While monitoring growth with electron diffraction, it fabricates thin films with precision down to a single atomic layer, and can also choose the crystal orientation and strain.
*Illustrative imageOxide photocatalysts for water splitting
Aiming for photocatalysts that split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight, the lab investigates the mechanism of adding other elements to well-known oxides. The goal is to develop oxide semiconductors that are stable in water and absorb sunlight efficiently.
*Illustrative imageSubstrate surfaces for thin-film growth
The quality of a thin film depends greatly on the surface structure and composition of the substrate that serves as its foundation. The lab creates atomically flat surfaces through polishing, heating, and chemical treatment, and examines them with atomic force microscopy and ion scattering spectroscopy.
*Illustrative imageInterfaces between oxides
Near an interface, the properties of a material differ from those in its interior. The lab investigates new interfacial states, such as metallic behavior appearing within an insulator, as well as how elements intermix within thin films.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Lippmaa Lab consist of faculty, doctoral and master's students, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorMikk LippmaaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorTomoaki Tanaka
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Pulsed Laser Deposition in Action” Adam Andersen Læssøe / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Fabrication of oxide thin films: “Atomic-Scale Growth by Pulsed Laser Deposition ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Oxide photocatalysts for water splitting: “Anatase (titania, TiO2) photocatalyst producing hydrogen” University College London Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Substrate surfaces for thin-film growth: “Atomic force microscope by Zureks” Zureks / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Interfaces between oxides: “Perovskite Crystal Structure” Ying Chen / CC0 (cropped)
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