Pulsed laser deposited La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films: on the structural effects leading from amorphous to epitaxial growth

Perovskite La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 films have been deposited onto MgO(100) single-crystal substrates using PLD. The substrate temperature was varied between 773 and 993 K, and film thicknesses ranged from 1 to 6 mm. The structure of the films was investigated by XRD and transport properties using a standard four-probe technique. Microstructure was analyzed by SEM, using both in-plane view and cross-section micrographs. Samples deposited at temperatures below 873 K are amorphous and exhibit increasing epitaxial growth above this temperature threshold. An increase of the grain size, as obtained from both SEM micrographs and analysis of the XRD patterns, leads to epitaxial films at growth temperatures of 993 K. 8 refs.