Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Thick films (0.6 and 2.0 μm) of the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) material, La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO), have been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The films were grown from single-phase LCMO targets in 100 mTorr 02 pressures and the material deposited on (100) LaAlO3 substrates at deposition temperatures of 800°C. The deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic field-dependent resistivity, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). The LCMO films were shown by XRD to adopt an orthorhombic structure. Brief post-deposition annealing led to ~50,000% and ~12,000% MR effect in the 0.6 μm and 2.0 μm films, respectively.