Abstract
Structural changes in epitaxial (LSMO) thin films are studied using x-ray scattering during thermal annealing. As oxygen atoms are incorporated during annealing ex situ in air, the unit-cell volume contracts, which is attributed to the increased ratio of ions as indicated by enhanced saturation magnetization and ferromagnetic transition temperature. The unit-cell contraction occurs rather abruptly, suggesting that a structural phase transition happens during annealing. A -thick film remains almost fully strained even after annealing. In this case, a fourfold structural modulation is observed which accommodates the augmented lattice strain energy.
- Received 16 July 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.012412
©2005 American Physical Society