Influence of Ca Content on LITV Effect of La_1-xCa_xMnO₃ Epitaxial Thin Films

Abstract

La1-xCaxMnO3 (x=0.0-1.0) epitaxial thin films were deposited on both tilted and untilted LaAlO3 (0 0 1) single crystalline substrates using PLD (pulsed laser deposition) technique, in which the employed qualified polycrystalline La1-xCaxMnO3 targets were synthesized by sol-gel method. The structural properties and the ultraviolet LITV (laser induced thermoelectric voltage) effect of the as-grown films on the tilted substrates were studied. The results demonstrate that the intensities of the LITV signals depend non-monotonously on Ca content, that is, the peak values of the LITV signals firstly increase and then decrease with Ca content increasing. The maximal peak value of LITV was found in the film with Ca=0.33.