skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Composition gradient effects on strain relaxation in Sr-doped LaMnO{sub 3} epitaxial thin films

Journal Article · · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, Vacuum, Surfaces and Films
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4923051· OSTI ID:22479713

The authors report on a novel method to fabricate Sr-doped composition gradient epitaxial La{sub 1−x}Sr{sub x}MnO{sub 3} thin films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Biaxially strained epitaxial La{sub 1−x}Sr{sub x}MnO{sub 3} thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO{sub 3} substrates by following a cosputtering procedure from LaMnO{sub 3} and La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} targets. Three depositions were conducted by varying the substrate temperature (750 and 850 °C) and controlling the relative deposition rate from the two targets by varying their power rate during sputtering. The thickness of the thin films was about 20 and 30 nm for the short and long duration deposition, respectively. The films were studied by symmetric θ–2θ x-ray diffraction, pole figure analysis, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Fabrication of smooth, composition gradient films of high epitaxial quality was achieved at a substrate temperature of 850 °C and low sputtering rate. A novel strain relaxation mechanism is also found that decreases significantly the mismatch between the film and substrate as the Sr doping level increases. The reported deposition procedure can produce new possibilities of designing nanoscale structures with cross coupled properties that may result in new materials.

OSTI ID:
22479713
Journal Information:
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, Vacuum, Surfaces and Films, Vol. 33, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0734-2101
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English