LPCMO nano-templates grown using substrate induced strain

The phase diagram of mixed phase manganites exhibits an electronic soft matter (ESM) like state, where the coexisting metallic and insulating phases behave like a fluid under the influence of external stress and electric field. We present here the nano-template growth of (La_0.5Pr_0.5)_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃ on NdGaO₃ (NGO) (1 1 0) and SrTiO₃ (STO) (1 0 0) substrates using pulsed laser ablation technique. The films grown on STO have disconnected islands due to the large lattice mismatch of about 2%. These single crystalline islands are approximately 50 nm in size and also display the ESM state. The ESM state in these nano-templates is found to be sensitive to the substrate induced strain. On NGO, the ESM is formed near the insulator to metal transition temperature (T_IM). When the film thickness is increased, i.e. the substrate strain is relaxed; the ESM region in the phase diagram shrinks, confirming the influence of strain on the ESM. Thus by engineering strain, we can create nano-templates which display electronic soft matter like behavior. Since the magnetism of the nano-templates can be manipulated by an electric field, novel magneto-electronic devices can be fabricated.