# Structural relaxation and domain formation in anisotropically strained La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/LaFeO3 superlattices on DyScO3(101)

## TL;DR

This paper studies how strain affects the structure and magnetism of a superlattice, revealing how strain relaxation and domain formation influence antiferromagnetic properties.

## Contribution

The study reveals a strain-domain-magnetism relationship in anisotropically strained superlattices, offering new insights for spintronics.

## Key findings

- Selective strain relaxation occurs along the tensile [010]o axis while compression remains along [−101]o.
- Structural domains form in LaFeO3 layers, minimizing defects and correlating with substrate step edges.
- Antiferromagnetic polydomain states coexist with structural domains, indicating a strain-induced relationship.

## Abstract

Anisotropic strain engineering in epitaxial oxide films provides new opportunities to control the antiferromagnetic and structural properties crucial for advancements of antiferromagnetic spintronics. Here we report on a (La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/LaFeO3)4 superlattice grown on (101)o DyScO3 substrate which imposes significant anisotropic in-plane strain. Reciprocal space mapping reveals selective strain relaxation along the tensile in-plane [010]o axis, while compression along the perpendicular in-plane [\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\:\stackrel{-}{1}01$$\end{document}]o axis remains strained. Scanning precession electron diffraction and higher-order Laue zone analysis show that the relaxation is accommodated by structural domain formation in the LaFeO3 layers, initiating from the second bilayer and propagating out-of-plane. These domains minimise structural defects and correlate with the substrate step edges. X-ray magnetic dichroism measurements reveal bulk-like in-plane antiferromagnetic order with polydomain signature as previously reported. Our findings reveal the presence of structural domains coexisting with antiferromagnetic polydomain states, showing a strain-domain-magnetism relationship that provides insights for applications of strain engineering in spintronics applications.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-35436-2.