Preparation and properties of triple perovskite La3-3xCa1+3xMn3O10 ferromagnetic thin films

The ferromagnetic compound La3-3xCa1+3xMn3O10 with a triple perovskite structure can be successfully synthesized by using a thin-film growth method. Sputtered a-axis thin films with x = 0.3 have been examined with respect to their magnetotransport properties. For the triple perovskite compound, we have observed the features, including the enhanced magnetoresistene (MR) effect and the characteristic low-temperature MR effect resulting from intragrain spin-polarized tunneling, which were reported for the double perovskite manganites. A comparison of the magnitude of these features in triple and double perovskite manganites suggests that the features are actually determined by the c-axis Mn-O bond configuration in a layered-perovskite ferromagnet. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.