Growth of Pr2Ir2O7 thin films using solid phase epitaxy

(111)-oriented pyrochlore Pr 2Ir 2O 7 epitaxial thin films were successfully fabricated on yttria-stabilized zirconia (111) substrates by means of solid phase epitaxy, namely, the combination of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of an amorphous precursor film at room temperature, followed by epitaxial crystallization in an ex situ post-annealing process in air. The Pr 2Ir 2O 7 phase cannot be obtained in a conventional in situ PLD process because of severe Ir loss. The Pr 2Ir 2O 7 thin films showed metallic electronic conductivity and the spontaneous Hall effect. These transport properties are similar to the ones reported for bulk single crystal samples, indicating that the thin films had high crystalline quality.