Magnetotransport properties of Pr_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ thin films grown by a solution route Available to Purchase

Thin films of Pr_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ were fabricated on (001) oriented SrLaAlO₄, NdGaO₃, and SrTiO₃ substrates using a hybrid solution route and spin coating techniques. Good crystalline and epitaxial quality of the films was confirmed with X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. Strain in the film grown on NdGaO₃ substrate did not relax during annealing process and the film exhibited charge-ordered insulator phase at low temperatures even with magnetic fields up to 9 T. However, the films on SrLaAlO₄ and SrTiO₃ substrates (with partially relaxed compressive and tensile strain, respectively) displayed melting of the charge-ordered phase with applied magnetic fields of less than 5 T. The results suggest that strain-relaxation rather than only the type of strain plays an important role in lowering critical melting magnetic fields in these films.