Integration of epitaxial La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 thin films on silicon-on-sapphire substrate for MEMS applications

[Display omitted] •Successful integration of oxides (SrTiO3, La2/3Sr1/3MnO3) on industrial compatible SOS wafers.•Successful fabrication of LSMO double clamped MEMS structures by silicon micromachining.•3D topography of MEMS micro-bridge structures visualized by digital holographic microscopy. We report the integration of high-quality epitaxial La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) thin films onto SrTiO3 buffered Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) substrates by combining state-of-the-art thin film growth techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition. Detailed structural, magnetic and electrical characterizations of the LSMO/STO/SOS heterostructures show that the LSMO film properties are competitive with those directly grown on oxide substrates. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements on Mn L2,3 edges show strong dichroic signal at room temperature, and angular-dependent in-plane magnetic properties by magneto-optical Kerr magnetometry reveal isotropic magnetic anisotropy. Suspended micro-bridges were thus finally fabricated by silicon micromachining, thus demonstrating the potential use of integrating LSMO magnetic layer on industrially compatible SOS substrates for the development of applicative MEMS devices.