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Thickness‐Dependent Structure–Property Relationships in Strained (110) SrRuO 3 Thin Films
Author(s) -
Kan Daisuke,
Aso Ryotaro,
Kurata Hiroki,
Shimakawa Yuichi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201202402
Subject(s) - materials science , tetragonal crystal system , monoclinic crystal system , octahedron , thin film , epitaxy , crystallography , crystal structure , perovskite (structure) , substrate (aquarium) , condensed matter physics , nanotechnology , layer (electronics) , chemistry , oceanography , physics , geology
Thickness‐dependent structure–property relationships in strained SrRuO 3 thin films on GdScO 3 (GSO) substrates are reported. The film is found to have epitaxially stabilized crystal structures that vary with the film thickness. Below 16 nm, the √2 a pc × √2 a pc × 2 a pc monoclinic structure is stabilized while above 16 nm the film has the a pc × 2 a pc × a pc tetragonal structure. The thickness‐dependent structural changes are ascribed to the substrate‐induced modification in the RuO 6 octahedral rotation pattern, which highlights the significance of the octahedral rotations for the epitaxial strain accommodation in the coherently‐grown films. Close relationships between the structural and physical properties of the films are also found. The monoclinic film has the uniaxial magnetic easy axis 45° away from the [110] GSO direction while the tetragonal film has the one that lies along the in‐plane [1–10] GSO direction. The results demonstrate that the octahedral rotations in the strained perovskite oxide thin films are a key factor for determining their structure phases and physical properties.