Surface stability of epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on (111)-oriented SrTiO3

Hallsteinsen, I., Boschker, J.E., Nord, M., Lee, S., Rzchowski, M., Vullum, P.E., Grepstad, J.K., Holmestad, R., Eom, C.B. and Tybell, T. (2013) Surface stability of epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on (111)-oriented SrTiO3. Journal of Applied Physics, 113(18), 183512. (doi: 10.1063/1.4804312)

Abstract

We report on the stability of the La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin film surface when deposited on (111)-oriented SrTiO3. For ultrathin La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 films, an initial 3-dimensional morphology is observed, which becomes 2-dimensional with increasing film thickness. For even thicker samples, we show that the surface morphology evolves from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional and that this observation is consistent with an Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld instability, which can be controlled by the deposition temperature. This allows for synthesis of films with step-and-terrace surfaces over a wide range of thicknesses. Structural characterization by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy shows that the films are strained to the SrTiO3 substrate and reveals the presence of an elongated out-of-plane lattice parameter at the interface with SrTiO3.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This project was supported by the Norwegian Research Council under project number 10239707. The work at University of Wisconsin-Madison was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR- 0906443 and a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship (C.B.E.).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Nord, Dr Magnus
• Authors: Hallsteinsen, I., Boschker, J.E., Nord, M., Lee, S., Rzchowski, M., Vullum, P.E., Grepstad, J.K., Holmestad, R., Eom, C.B., and Tybell, T.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• ISSN: 0021-8979
• ISSN (Online): 1089-7550
• Published Online: 09 May 2013