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Role of boundaries on low-field magnetotransport properties of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3-based nanocomposite thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2013

Aiping Chen ,
Wenrui Zhang ,
Jie Jian ,
Haiyan Wang ,
Chen-Fong Tsai ,
Qing Su ,
Quanxi Jia  and
Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll
Aiping Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Wenrui Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Jie Jian
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Haiyan Wang*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Chen-Fong Tsai
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Qing Su
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Quanxi Jia
Affiliation:
Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Division of Materials Physics and Applications, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, United Kingdom
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: wangh@ece.tamu.edu
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Abstract

The effects of boundaries such as grain boundaries and phase boundaries on low-field magnetoresistance (LFMR) have been investigated in single-phase lanthanum strontium manganates, in this case La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and LSMO: zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite thin films. In the pure LSMO films with similar grain size, it is found that the LFMR increases as the grain misorientation factor (β) increases. The LFMR in the nanocomposite films is greatly enhanced, as compared with single-phase films, due to the reduced grain size, and increased phase boundary (PB) and β effects. The composition study shows that the LFMR can be dramatically enhanced when the secondary phase content approaches the percolation threshold. The increased β and secondary phase concentration reduce the cross-section of electron conduction paths and favor the formation of the quasi-one-dimensional transport channels. Our results demonstrate that the reduction of cross-section of the electron conduction paths by tuning the grain orientation and secondary phase composition is necessary for enhancing LFMR effect.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 28 , Issue 13: FOCUS ISSUE: Frontiers in Thin-Film Epitaxy and Nanostructured Materials , 14 July 2013 , pp. 1707 - 1714
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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References

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