  With infrared ellipsometry, x-ray diffraction, and electric transport
measurements we investigated the electric-field-effect on the confined
electrons at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. We obtained evidence that the
localization of the electrons at low temperature and negative gate voltage is
induced, or at least strongly enhanced, by a pyroelectric phase transition in
SrTiO3 which strongly reduces the lattice polarizability and the subsequent
Coulomb screening. In particular, we show that the charge localisation and the
polar order of SrTiO3 both develop below about 50 K and exhibit similar,
unipolar hysteresis loops as a function of the gate voltage. Our findings
suggest that the pyroelectric order also plays an important role in the quantum
phase transition at very low temperatures where superconductivity is suppressed
by an electric field.
