Thickness dependent microstructural changes in La_(0.5)Ca_(0.5)MnO_3 thin films deposited on (111) SrTiO_3

摘要

The epitaxial strain can modify the physical properties of complex oxide thin films considerably. The strain effect is expected to be less pronounced for relatively thick films and the physical properties should resemble to the bulk material. However, it has been recently observed that the electronic and magnetic properties of La_(0.5)Ca_(0.5)MnO_3 thin films deposited on (111) SrTiO_3 substrates thicker than a threshold value differ considerably from the bulk material. This observation is a hint for some interesting microstructural features in these films. In the present study, the microstructure of La_(0.5)Ca_(0.5)MnO_3 thin films on (111) SrTiO_3 substrates is investigated by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy.