Transport properties and microstructure of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanocrystalline thin films grown by polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition

Perovskite-based materials can be widely used in the aerospace and transportation field. Perovskite manganese oxides La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films were grown on LaAlO₃ (100) and Si (100) single crystal substrates by the polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition (PACSD) method. Electronic transport behavior, microstructure, and magnetoresistance (MR) of LSMO thin films on different substrates were investigated. The resistance of LSMO films fabricated on LaAlO₃ substrates is smaller than that on the Si substrates. The magnetic field reduces resistance of LSMO films both on Si and LAO in the wide temperature region, when the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts to higher temperature. The low-field magnetoresistance of LSMO films on Si in low temperature range at 1 T is larger than that of LSMO films on LAO. However, the MR of LSMO film on LAO films at room-temperature is about 5.17 %. The thin films are smooth and dense with uniform nanocrystal size grain. These results demonstrate that PACSD is an effective technique for producing high quality LSMO films, which is significant to improve the magnetic properties and the application of automotive sensor.