Interfacial quantum interference effect and dual magnetoresistance in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films grown on (001) Si

Abstract

Transmission electron microscope image and electronic transport of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) films grown on (001) oriented Si using the sputtered pulsed plasma method confirmed the presence of around 8 nm thick, less dense, and highly resistive LSMO at the interface below the conducting phase. Thicker LSMO films, in addition to metal-insulator transition, show an anomaly around the Curie temperature in temperature-dependent resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR), which is a unique observation. The conduction in these LSMO films at temperatures below low-temperature resistivity minimum is dominated by Kondo-like scattering over electron–electron scattering, established using the phenomenological model. At 20 K, the maximum positive MR is ∼ 12% for the in-plane field, while it is ∼ 7.2% for the out-of-plane field. The maximum negative in-plane MR is found to be ∼ 42.5%, which becomes ∼ 30% when the orientation of the field changes to the out-of-plane direction. The two-dimensional field-dependent change in the magneto-conductance model evidenced the quantum interference effect (QIE). The existence of QIE is associated with magnetic scattering and scattering due to spin–orbit coupling. These results may be used to modulate the electrical properties of future electronic devices and can encourage scientists to explore the multi-functionalities of complex oxides grown on bare Si substrates.