https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e20020061
Strain effect on transport properties of SrRuO3 films grown by laser MBE
INFM- Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Fisiche ed Energetiche,
Univeristà di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma,
Italy
Corresponding author: a pasquale.orgiani@na.infn.it
Received:
16
July
2001
Revised:
22
October
2001
Published online: 15 March 2002
Transport properties of SrRuO3 thin films were studied as a function of
the epitaxial strain. SrRuO3 films were grown on (100) SrTiO3
substrates by the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique equipped with Reflection
High Energy Electrons Diffraction (RHEED). Samples thickness has been varied
from a few unit cells to above 1000 Å while monitoring RHEED intensity
oscillations. In thicker films epitaxial strain was found to be
progressively relaxed. SrRuO3 relaxed films (thickness
1000 Å) show metallic behavior for the whole temperature range with a
ferromagnetic ordering at about 150 K. For thinner films, ferromagnetic
ordering occurs at progressively lower temperatures, until in films thinner
than 400 Å it disappears. Films thinner than 80 Å show a semiconducting
behavior at low temperatures. Our results provide direct evidence of the
crucial role of the strain effect for conducting and magnetic properties of SrRuO3.
PACS: 81.15.Fg – Laser deposition / 75.70.Ak – Magnetic properties of monolayers and thin films / 81.40.Jj – Elasticity and anelasticity, stress-strain relations
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2002