MAGNETIC AND TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3/La0.5Ca0.5MnO3/Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3 TRILAYERS

Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3/La0.5Ca0.5MnO3/Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (PSMO/LCMO/PSMO) trilayers were deposited on (001)-oriented single crystal MgO by pulsed laser deposition. The thickness of both PSMO layers was 36 nm while the thickness of LCMO layer varied from 6 to 36 nm. High resolution X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that trilayers were well (001)-oriented grown with high crystalline quality, and that PSMO layers were fully-strain-relaxed while LCMO spacer was partially strained. Studies on transport and magnetic properties of trilayers indicated that metal-insulator transition temperature T-MI increased from 200 K to 260 K and the saturation magnetization was suppressed with decreasing thickness of LCMO spacer from 36 to 6 nm. Transport properties of trilayers are associated with enhancement of volume fraction of ferromagnetic clusters in charge ordered and magnetic phase separated LCMO spacer. Interestingly, exchange bias (EB) was not observed in PSMO/LCMO/PSMO trilayers. It was believed that preferential distribution of metallic ferromagnetic clusters in LCMO layer may result in disappearance of EB.