Role of interdiffusion on the magnetism of ultrathin LaMnO3 films

Abstract

We present a detailed study of the magnetic, spectroscopic and structural properties of ultrathin LaMnO3 films deposited on SrTiO3(001) substrates by oxide molecular beam epitaxy. We find that the as-grown LaMnO3 films are slightly reduced and present a significant magnetic moment, while annealing to 600 °C fully oxidizes and enhances its magnetic properties. From synchrotron x-ray photoemission spectromicroscopy, we find the presence of Sr, Ca and Si in the LaMnO3 film that diffuse from the SrTiO3 substrate; these impurities act as hole dopants, and can explain the presence of ferromagnetism in LaMnO3. This work highlights the importance of cation mobility at the elevated growth temperature in modifying the magnetic properties of ultrathin LaMnO3 films.