Magnetizations and magneto-transport properties of Ni-doped PrFeO₃ thin films

The present study reports the magnetizations and magneto-transport properties of PrFe_1−xNi_xO₃ thin films grown by pulsed laser ablation technique on LaAlO₃ substrates. From DC M/H plots of these films, weak ferromagnetism or ferrimagnetism behaviors are observed. With Ni substitution, reduction in saturation magnetization is also seen. With Ni doping, variations in saturation field (H_s), coercive field (H_c), Weiss temperature (θ), and effective magnetic moment (p_eff) are seen. A small change of magnetoresitance with application of higher field is observed. Various essential parameters like density of state (N_f) at Fermi level, Mott's characteristic temperature (T₀), and activation energy (E_a) in the presence of and in the absence of magnetic field are calculated. The present observed magnetic properties are related to the change of Fe–O bond length (causing an overlap between the oxygen p orbital and iron d orbital) and the deviation of the Fe–O–Fe angle from 180°. Reduction of magnetic domain after Ni doping is also explored to explain the present observed magnetic behavior of the system. The influence of doping on various transport properties in these thin films indicates a distortion in the lattice structure and single particle band width, owing to stress-induced reduction in unit cell volume. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)