Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering of GdBa2Cu3O7−δ/ La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 Quasi-bilayer Films on SrTiO3 (STO) Single-crystal Substrates

Summary

Here, we present a protocol to grow LSMO nanoparticles and (Gd) BCO films on (001) SrTiO₃ (STO) single-crystal substrates by radio frequency (RF)-sputtering.

Abstract

Here, we demonstrate a method of coating ferromagnetic La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO) nanoparticles on (001) SrTiO₃ (STO) single-crystal substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. LSMO nanoparticles were deposited with diameters from 10 to 20 nm and heights between 20 and 50 nm. At the same time, (Gd) Ba₂Cu₃O_7−δ ((Gd) BCO) films were fabricated on both undecorated and LSMO nanoparticle decorated STO substrates using RF magnetron sputtering. This report also describes the properties of GdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ/ La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ quasi-bilayer films structures (e.g., crystalline phase, morphology, chemical composition); magnetization, magneto-transport, and superconducting transport properties were also evaluated.

Introduction

The hole-doped manganite La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO) have unique properties such as wide-band gaps, half-metallic ferromagnetism, and entangled electronic states, which provide extraordinary opportunities for potential spintronic applications^1,2,3,4. Currently, many researchers are endeavoring to take advantage of the unique properties of LSMO to inhabit the vortex movement for high temperature superconducting (HTS) films, such as (RE) Ba₂Cu₃O_7−δ f....

Protocol

1. Substrate and Target Preparation

NOTE: This section describes the preparation of the sputter deposition chamber and the single crystal SrTiO₃ (STO) substrates.

1. Use 10 mm x 10 mm SrTiO₃ (STO) single-crystal substrates during the RF magnetron sputtering process.
2. Sequentially clean the substrates in isopropanol and deionized water for 10 min each at room temperature in ultrasonic bath. Then dry the substrates with nitrogen, which is for uniform covering of the substrate and good film adherence.
3. Mount the (001) STO substrates in the substrate holders with silver powder conductive glue. Lo....

Results

The thickness of (Gd) BCO films on both bare and LSMO decorated STO substrate was 500nm, which was measured by a surface profilometer. The film thickness was controlled by sputtering time. Figure 1a,b shows the AFM image of LSMO nanoparticle (sputtering time of 10 s) on 1.0 cm x 1.0 cm single-crystal STO substrates to prove that the LSMO nanoparticles grown on STO substrates uniformly. The surface and to measure the roughness of the films was.......

Discussion

Here we have demonstrated that this method can be used to prepare LSMO ferromagnetic nanoparticles of uniform distribution on SrTiO₃ (STO) single-crystal substrates. The (Gd) BCO films also can be deposited on both bare and LSMO decorated STO substrate. With an appropriate adjustment of deposited parameters, such as growth temperatures and target-substrate distance, this method ought to be useful for deposited different kinds of magnetic and non-magnetic particles or layers, for example, CeO₂, YSZ (.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Sputter Deposition System	Shenyang scientific instruments Limited by Share Ltd	Bespoke
SrTiO3 Single Crystal Substrate	Hefei Ke crystal material technology Co., Ltd	Single-sided epi-polished	(001) orientation
La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 sputtering target	Hefei Ke crystal material technology Co., Ltd	Bespoke	60 mm diameter
GdBa2Cu3O7−δ sputtering target	Hefei Ke crystal material technology Co., Ltd	Bespoke	60 mm diameter
Atomic Force Microscope	Brüker	Dimension Icon
X-ray Diffractometer	Brüker	D8 Discover
Physical Property Measurement System	Quantum Design	PPMS 9