Transmission electron microscopy study of epitaxial La0.8MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3

The structure and microstructure of La0.8MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates, fabricated by pulsed laser deposition at substrate temperatures of 873K and 1073 K, have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. In both films, columnar growth morphology has been observed. The columnar grain size is found to increase with increasing substrate temperature. In the film deposited at a substrate temperature of 1073 K, there is only one rhombohedral phase. However, two phases, a rhombohedral one and an orthorhombic one, have been observed in the film deposited at 873 K.