Growth and characterization of epitaxial La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films by metal-organic deposition on (LaAlO3)0.3-(SrAlTaO6)0.7 substrates

Thin films of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) have been grown epitaxially on (001) single-crystal substrates of (LaAlO3)0.3-(SrAlTaO6)0.7 by metal-organic deposition. The microstructures of the LCMO films were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on cross-sections. High-resolution TEM observations demonstrated a good quality of epitaxy throughout the entire film thickness. For bolometric application, we calculated the temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) from the temperature dependence of the resistance. Large value of TCR of approximately 22% at 250 K was obtained for the 80 nm thick film