  5d transition-metal-based oxides display emergent phenomena due to the
competition between the relevant energy scales of the correlation, bandwidth,
and most importantly, the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Starting from the
prediction of novel oxide topological insulators in bilayer ABO3 (B = 5d
elements) thin-film grown along the (111) direction, 5d-based perovskites (Pv)
form a new paradigm in the thin-film community. Here, we reviewed the
scientific accomplishments in Pv-SrIrO3 thin films, a popular candidate for
observing non-trivial topological phenomena. Although the predicted topological
phenomena are unknown, the Pv-SrIrO3 thin film shows many emergent properties
due to the delicate interplay between its various degrees of freedom. These
observations provide new physical insight and encourage further research on the
design of new 5d-based heterostructures or superlattices for the observation of
the hidden topological quantum phenomena in strong spin-orbit coupled oxides.
