Strained La0.8Ba0.2MnO3 thin films were grown onto a SrTiO3(100) substrate by using an off-axis sputtering technique. It was found that the ferromagnetic temperature increased in thinner films. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy indicated that Sr diffused partially into the film, making it structurally non-uniform. The region close to the film/substrate interface acted like La1−x(SryBa1−y)xMnO3, with a nearly-negligible y-value for as-grown films and a non-negligible value of y for the high-temperature post-annealed films. The enhancement of the ferromagnetic temperature was attributed to a combination of strain and interdiffusion effects.

Interdiffusion Effect on Strained La0.8Ba0.2MnO3 Thin Films by Off-Axis Sputtering on SrTiO3 (100) Substrates. H.Chou, S.G.Hsu, C.B.Lin, C.B.Wu: Applied Physics Letters, 2007, 90[6], 062501 (3pp)