Structural and magnetic properties of pulsed laser deposited SrRuO3/CoFe2O4/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 magnetic oxide heterostructures on SrTiO3(001) and MgO(001)

We report on the growth of all-oxide SrRuO₃/CoFe₂O₄/La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ and La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃/CoFe₂O₄/SrRuO₃ heterostuctures on SrTiO₃(001) and MgO(001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Structural analyses by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy clearly indicate the preservation of epitaxial relations when the La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ layer is grown first, whereas trilayers with SrRuO₃ at the bottom are more disordered. Both the substrate material and the deposition sequence strongly influence the formation of various structural defects such as interfacial dislocations and sub-grain structures, and this is clearly reflected by a reduction of the saturation magnetization in the top electrode. When the substrate material and the deposition sequence are correctly chosen, however, the magnetic moments of the La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ and SrRuO₃ layers reverse independently, and the La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ layer retains bulk-like magnetic properties.