Magnetic and electrical properties of Zno/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 heterostructures

Abstract

ZnO/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) heterostructures with different ZnO thickness were grown on (001) oriented silicon (Si) substrates by using RF-magnetron sputtering. The x-ray diffraction confirmed that the ZnO was grown epitaxially on LSMO/Si. The out-of-plane lattice parameter (3.863 Å) of LSMO film on Si experience 0.6 % strain, while that of ZnO experience 0.07 %. The heterostructure shows paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition around 300 K, relatively lower that the bulk LSMO. The electrical transport in the heterostructure is non-linear and exhibits a transition from insulator like-to-metal like behavior on decreasing temperature from 300 K to 10 K. The study of this heterostructure may provide useful information for the future development of Si based electronic devices using oxide materials.