Effect of structural disorder on transport properties of LaNiO3 thin films.

We have deposited LaNiO3 thin films on LaAlO3 (001), SrTiO3 (001), and Si (001) substrates using the pulsed laser deposition technique. Depositions were carried out at various substrate temperatures ranging from 0 to 800 °C. The effects of lattice mismatch and structural disorder on the transport properties of films deposited on various substrates and at different substrate temperatures are reported. X-ray diffraction confirms a highly c-axis oriented growth of LaNiO3 films on all the substrates at substrate temperatures of 600 and 800 °C, while at lower substrate temperatures deposited films are amorphous. Emergence of a new Raman mode indicates symmetry lowering in all the deposited crystalline films. Hardening of the Eg(3) (∼400 cm−1) mode is also observed with the rise of in-plane compressive strain. Resistivity curves for films on Si show a semiconducting behaviour and follow a variable range hopping mechanism. Crystalline films on LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 exhibit a metallic character along with a low-temperature resistivity upturn, which is attributed to the contribution of self-localization to resistivity at low temperatures as indicated by magnetotransport measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]