Structure and magnetic properties of CrN thin films on La0.67Sr0.33MnO3

High crystalline quality CrN thin films have been grown on La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) templates by molecular beam epitaxy. The structure and magnetic properties of CrN/LSMO heterojunctions are investigated combining with the experiments and the first-principles simulation. The Nėel temperature of the CrN/LSMO samples is found to be 281 K and the saturation magnetization of CrN/LSMO increases compared to that of LSMO templates. The magnetic property of CrN/LSMO heterostructures mainly comes from Cr atoms of (001) CrN and Mn atoms of (001) LSMO. The (001) LSMO induces and couples the spin of the CrN sublattice at CrN/LSMO interface. •High crystalline quality CrN films grown directly on LSMO templates with MBE.•CrN/LSMO shows good structural, chemical and magnetic properties.•Density functional theory is used to understand the magnetic interaction at the interface.•The saturation magnetization of CrN/LSMO increases compared to that of LSMO.