Crystal structure of (La,Ca)MnO3 ultrathin films deposited on SrTiO3 substrates |
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| Authors: | Y. L. Qin H. W. Zandbergen Z. Q. Yang J. Aarts |
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| Affiliation: | 1. National Centre for High-resolution Electron Microscopy , Laboratory of Materials Science , Delft University of Technology , Rotterdamseweg 137, 2628 AL Delft, The Netherlands yqin2@andrew.cmu.edu y.qin@rug.nl;3. National Centre for High-resolution Electron Microscopy , Laboratory of Materials Science , Delft University of Technology , Rotterdamseweg 137, 2628 AL Delft, The Netherlands;4. Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory , Leiden University , P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Epitaxial La1?x Ca x MnO3 (x???0.33) ultrathin films with thickness between 3 and 6?nm have been grown on (001) SrTiO3 substrates by sputter deposition. The films do not exhibit an insulator-metal transition as a function of temperature, which is normal in thicker films. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction were used to investigate the crystal structure. It was found that the films grow coherently on the substrates and are perfectly crystalline. Their crystal structure was determined to be a body-centred orthorhombic structure with space group Imma, instead of the orthorhombic Pnma bulk structure. This structure change is probably responsible for the insulating property of the films. |
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