CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURE, MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES |
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Effect of Terraces at the Interface on the Structural and Physical Properties of La$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$MnO$_{3}$ Thin Films |
Ya-Qing Feng1, Kui-Juan Jin1,2**, Chen Ge1, Xu He1, Lin Gu1, Zhen-Zhong Yang1, Hai-Zhong Guo1, Qian Wan1, Meng He1, Hui-Bin Lu1, Guo-Zhen Yang1,2 |
1Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 2Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190
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Cite this article: |
Ya-Qing Feng, Kui-Juan Jin, Chen Ge et al 2016 Chin. Phys. Lett. 33 076801 |
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Abstract Employing atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and the second harmonic generation technique, we carefully explore the structural properties of 6-unit-cell-thick La$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$MnO$_{3}$ films grown on SrTiO$_{3}$ with atomically flat TiO$_{2}$-terminated terraces on the surface. The results clearly demonstrate that the terraces on the surface of TiO$_{2}$-terminated SrTiO$_{3}$ can improve the layer-by-layer epitaxial growth of the manganite films, which results in uniform film coverage at the beginning of growth and thus reduces the substrate-induced disorder at or near the interface. Comparing the magnetic and transport properties of La$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$MnO$_{3}$ films with the thicknesses varying from 6 unit cells to 80 unit cells grown respectively on as-received SrTiO$_{3}$ and TiO$_{2}$-terminated SrTiO$_{3}$, it is found that these atomically flat terraces on the surface of TiO$_{2}$-terminated SrTiO$_{3}$ can greatly enhance the Curie temperature and conductivities of the ultrathin La$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$MnO$_{3}$ films with thickness less than 50 unit cells, while no obvious difference is detected in the magnetic and transport properties of the 80 unit-cell thick films.
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Received: 21 March 2016
Published: 01 August 2016
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PACS: |
68.35.Ct
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(Interface structure and roughness)
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75.75.-c
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(Magnetic properties of nanostructures)
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73.63.-b
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(Electronic transport in nanoscale materials and structures)
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68.37.Lp
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(Transmission electron microscopy (TEM))
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