Mapping out the electronic and magnetic transitions in mixed-valent La1-xSrxMnO3 thin films

Abstract

The rich phase diagram in mixed-valent manganites has been intensely studied in bulk crystals as a function of chemical doping. Here we study the effect of doping in La1-xSrxMnO3 thin films by varying the Sr/La ratio between samples. These thin films are grown using ozone assisted molecular beam epitaxy with carefully controlled stoichiometry for a range of doping from x = 0.0 to x = 0.5. Our electronic measurements reveal a crossover from a Mott insulator to a metallic ground state as x is increased. In the metallic ground state we observe a metal-to-insulator transition coincident with a ferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic ordering transition consistent with the double exchange interaction with higher, doping dependent transition temperatures compared to those reported for bulk La1-xSrxMnO3 crystals. We will also discuss the magnetic ordering transitions observed in the low doping regime (x\u3c0.17) where an insulating ground state is observed and compare these transitions with those reported for bulk La1-xSrxMnO3 crystals. *NSF Grant No. DMR-16-2633

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