Fabrication and characterization of micropatterned La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 films via the UV assisted photosensitive solution deposition method

Abstract

By using La(NO3)3•6H2O, Ca(NO3)2•4H2O, and Mn(CH3COO)2•4H2O as starting raw materials together with methanol, three kinds of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) solutions, denoted as LCMO–BzAc, LCMO–AcAc, and LCMO–BPY, respectively, were obtained. The samples were fabricated via the photosensitive solution method with benzoylacetone (BzAc), acetylacetone (AcAc), and 2, 2′-bipyridine (BPY) as chelating reagents. The chelation mechanism of the metal ions was investigated via ultraviolet spectroscopy. The photosensitive compounds were decomposed after UV exposure and their products reduced the solubility of the LCMO gel films in organic solvents. The patterned LCMO thin films were then fabricated by using the self-photosensitive properties of their gel films. Through the mask micromachining process, the LCMO micropatterns prepared by using the LCMO–BzAc solution exhibited the highest quality. Moreover, they also presented good performance when the mask-free method was employed. The magnetic properties of the micropatterned LCMO films were investigated in detail and the results revealed that the micropatterning did not influence their saturation magnetization.