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Nature Research, Scientific Reports, 1(4), 2014

DOI: 10.1038/srep05353

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Surface Nanostructures in Manganite Films

Journal article published in 2014 by A. Gambardella, P. Graziosi, I. Bergenti ORCID, M. Prezioso, D. Pullini, S. Milita, F. Biscarini ORCID, V. A. Dediu
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Ultrathin manganite films are widely used as active electrodes in organic spintronic devices. In this study, a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) investigation with atomic resolution revealed previously unknown surface features consisting of small non-stoichiometric islands. Based upon this evidence, a new mechanism for the growth of these complex materials is proposed. It is suggested that the non-stoichiometric islands result from nucleation centres that are below the critical threshold size required for stoichiometric crystalline growth. These islands represent a kinetic intermediate of single-layer growth regardless of the film thickness, and should be considered and possibly controlled in manganite thin-film applications.