Structure and microstructural characteristics in the thin films of La1−xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3)

Structure and microstructures in the thin films of La1−xSrxMnO3 (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3), prepared by computer-controlled laser molecular-beam epitaxy on SrTiO3 substrate, have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electron diffractions and high-resolution imaging reveal that the as-received thin films with thickness of 200 nm are epitaxially grown on the SrTiO3 (001) substrate. The as-prepared La1−xSrxMnO3 compounds are structural variants derived from the perovskite structure. The microstructures in all these films are clarified in terms of the oriented microdomains, which are believed to result from the strain relaxation between hetero-epitaxial systems. The functions between doping volume and their microstructural characteristics have been established on the basis of the electron microscopic studies.