The effect of oxygen vacancies on the electronic phase transition in La1/3Sr2/3FeO3 films

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction and electrical resistivity were used to probe the electronic phase transition in two strained La1/3Sr2/3FeO3 films on (001) SrTiO3 substrates, one nominally stoichiometric and one with a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies. We present evidence that oxygen vacancies inhibit the size of charge ordered domains and reduce the abruptness of the phase transition. Additionally, the correlation lengths measured from (4/3 4/3 4/3) peaks, arising from charge disproportionation, increase rapidly across the transition, suggesting that the resistivity increase at the transition temperature is caused by the nucleation and growth of charge ordered domains.