Abstract
We report on scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) studies of electron doped La0.7Ce0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition. Atomic force microscopy of these films reveals an average grain size of ∼100 nm. Spatially resolved STS maps in the metallic state, i.e., well below the metal-insulator transition temperature, show phase separation on a length scale of several nanometers. The conductance maps indicate a correlation between the phase separation and the microstructure of the films. The results demonstrate that the local strain as well as the morphology of thin films have a strong influence on the local conductivities which complicates the search for an intrinsic phase separation in manganite thin films.
Published Version
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