Decrease of the Curie temperature in La {sub 0.67} Sr {sub 0.33} MnO {sub 3} thin films induced by Au capping
Data di pubblicazione: 25 Nov 2007
Ferromagnetism of La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} is extremely sensitive to external perturbations like substrate-induced strain, charge injection and chemical interactions with neighbour layers. In this paper we discuss the perturbation induced by the presence of a metallic overlayer, typically deposited for electric contacts, in the prototypical case of the Au/La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} interface. In particular we found a sizable decrease of the Curie temperature in thin films of La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} after gold capping: 65 K for 5 nm thickness of the manganite. Apart from chemical reactions at the interface, charge injection-depletion induced by the difference in the work function between Au and La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} could partially explain this phenomenon.