Compressive Strain-Tuned Epitaxial Nature and Physical Properties of Double-Perovskite PrBaCo2O5.5+δ Thin Films

Double-perovskite PrBaCo2O5.5+delta thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO3 substrates for investigating the processing dynamic-tuned epitaxial nature and physical properties under different oxygen contents. Microstructural studies reveal that the as-grown films are c-axis oriented with good single crystallinity and epitaxial quality. It is interesting to find that a strained layer (SL) can be formed at the interface between the substrate and the film under a short-time annealing processing for partially releasing the interface compressive strain energy. The electrical and magnetic transport property studies demonstrate that the resistivity, the ferromagnetic states, and the magnetic moment of the films are sensitive to the oxygen content and nature of interface SL. These findings suggest that the microstructure and thus the physical properties of perovskite complex oxides can be manipulated not only by different annealing environments but also by annealing oxygen kinetics, which provides new information for investigating multifunctional complex oxide systems.

Automated summary

Double-perovskite PrBaCo2O5.5+delta thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO3 substrates to study the processing dynamic-tuned epitaxial nature and physical properties under different oxygen contents. It was found that the microstructure and properties of the films were sensitive to oxygen content and the nature of the strained layer (SL) at the substrate-film interface. Manipulating the microstructure of perovskite complex oxides through different annealing environments and oxygen kinetics provides new insights into investigating multifunctional complex oxide systems.