La1−xBaxMnOz thin film growth by ion beam sputtering: effects of oxygen partial pressure

Abstract High quality La 1− x Ba x MnO z (LBMO) thin films were successfully grown by the ion beam sputtering method for the first time on MgO and LaAlO 3 (LAO) substrates simultaneously with a supply of molecular oxygen at a substrate temperature ( T s ) of 700°C. These films exhibit a single phase and good crystallinity. Effects of oxygen partial pressure ( P O ) on the crystallinity and c -parameter are studied systematically. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) averaged over (0 0 1) and (0 0 2) X-ray diffraction peaks shows a minimum at P O around 2 mTorr for the films grown on MgO. At this P O , FWHM for the films grown on MgO substrate is about 3 times less than that for the films grown on LAO substrate. This indicates that better crystalline films can be grown on MgO in this particular window of P O ∼2 mTorr. The c -parameter values are much smaller for the films grown on MgO as compared to LAO.