Back to Search
Start Over
Thickness-dependent ferromagnetic metal to paramagnetic insulator transition in La$_{0.6}$Sr$_{0.4}$MnO$_3$ thin films studied by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism
- Source :
- Phys. Rev. B 89, 235123 (2014)
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Metallic transition-metal oxides undergo a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) as the film thickness decreases across a ritical thickness of several monolayers (MLs), but its driving mechanism remains controversial. We have studied the thickness-dependent MIT of the ferromagnetic metal La$_{0.6}$Sr$_{0.4}$MnO$_3$ by x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. As the film thickness was decreased across the critical thickness of the MIT (6-8 ML), a gradual decrease of the ferromagnetic signals and a concomitant increase of paramagnetic signals were observed, while the Mn valence abruptly decreased towards Mn$^{3+}$. These observations suggest that the ferromagnetic phase gradually and most likely inhomogeneously turns into the paramagnetic phase and both phases abruptly become insulating at the critical thickness.<br />Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Journal :
- Phys. Rev. B 89, 235123 (2014)
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1311.0520
- Document Type :
- Working Paper
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.235123