Epitaxial growth of one-dimensional Ca3Co2O6 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

We report on the growth and structural properties of Ca3Co2O6 thin films deposited by pulsed laser ablation on SrTiO3 substrates heated at 700°C. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and ex situ atomic force microscopy observations reveal that Ca3Co2O6 grows in a three-dimensional (3D) mode with a surface roughness of about 1.5nm rms. X-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission electron microscopy characterizations show that the deposited films are epitaxial without secondary phases and with a preferential growth orientation perpendicular to the (220) plane. Temperature dependent magnetization measurements reveal that the ferrimagnetic-ferromagnetic transition in the Ca3Co2O6 film is shifted toward higher temperatures with respect to the bulk cobaltite.