X-ray diffraction characterization of MBE grown Pr 1− xSr xMnO 3 thin films on NGO(1 1 0)

Abstract

Oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of Pr 1− x Sr x MnO 3 (PSMO) thin films has been carried out on NdGaO 3(1 1 0) (NGO) substrates. The growth parameters have been optimized to realize 2D layer-by-layer growth. XRD results of the epilayers show that the PSMO/NGO(1 1 0) thin films are of high crystal quality, as clear diffraction peaks can be observed belonging to the film and the substrate, respectively. Based on analysis of the peaks, it was concluded that epitaxial relation is PSMO(1 1 0)//NGO(1 1 0), i.e., the c-axis being parallel to the surface. Both single scans ( ω scan, 2 θ/ ω scan) and 2-axis reciprocal space mapping (RSM) were performed in an effort to assess the crystal structure, crystalline quality, surface and interface properties of the epitaxial layers. High temperature annealing effects on lattice structure and crystal quality have been studied and discussed. Transport property measurement of the PSMO thin film samples has been carried out and main features discussed.