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Microscopic Study Of Structure, Chemical Composition And Local Conductivity Of La2/3sr1/3mno3 Films, Lina Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) manganites have attracted intensive study due to their richness of underlying physics and potential technological applications. Of particular interest is half-metallic La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) because it possesses the highest known Curie temperature of the group ~ 370 K), which makes it a promising candidate for room temperature spintronic applications. On the other hand, LSMO ultrathin films exhibit a metal-insulator transition (MIT) when reducing film thickness. The origin of such a thickness-dependent MIT remains highly controversial, though understanding and controlling this kind of behavior is necessary for any possible device applications. An essential first step then, and the …