Preparation of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films on LSAT substrates by excimer-laser metal-organic deposition

Abstract

La<0.7/SUB>Ca<0.3/SUB>MnO<3/SUB> (LCMO) thin films exhibit a metal-insulator transition at the Curie temperature which is accompanied by a large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) in the region of the phase transition. Therefore, these materials can be ideal candidates for IR detectors utilizing resistance bolometer. In this study, epitaxial LCMO thin films were successfully prepared on LSAT ([LaAlO<3/SUB>-SrAlTaO<3/SUB>]-[(LaAlO<3/SUB>)<0.3/SUB>-(SrAlTaO<6/SUB>)<0.7/SUB>]) single-crystal substrates by a new excimer-laser metal-organic deposition (ELMOD) process. A KrF excimer laser irradiation at a substrate temperature of 500 C and a fluence of 80 mJ/cm<2/SUP> is sufficient to obtain high epitaxial films with different thicknesses (20-100 nm). Compared to the films prepared on SrTiO<3/SUB> substrates, the LCMO prepared on LSAT exhibit the highest values of TCR, which can reach 7.5% at 210 K.