Growth diagram of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films using pulsed laser deposition

TL;DR

This study investigates how tuning growth parameters in pulsed laser deposition affects the morphology and crystallinity of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates, providing a detailed growth diagram.

Contribution

The paper constructs a comprehensive growth diagram for La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films, linking microscopic processes to macroscopic growth modes and validating it with experimental data.

Findings

Identified boundaries between different growth modes and crystallinity levels.

Constructed a growth diagram matching experimental observations.

Demonstrated control over film properties through growth parameter tuning.

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted on controlling the growth mode of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) by tuning growth temperature, pressure and laser fluence. Different thin film morphology, crystallinity and stoichiometry have been observed depending on growth parameters. To understand the microscopic origin, the adatom nucleation, step advance processes and their relationship to film growth were theoretically analyzed and a growth diagram was constructed. Three boundaries between highly and poorly crystallized growth, 2D and 3D growth, stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric growth were identified in the growth diagram. A good fit of our experimental observation with the growth diagram was found. This case study demonstrates that a more comprehensive understanding of the growth mode in PLD is possible.