Influence of epitaxial growth on phase competition in Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 films

A series of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 (PSMO) films with various thickness were epitaxially grown on substrates of (001)-oriented (LaAlO3)0.3(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 (LSAT), LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO), and (011)-oriented STO using pulse laser deposition. Influence of epitaxial growth on phase competition was investigated. A ferromagnetic metal to antiferromagnetic insulator (FMM–AFI) transition upon cooling is present in both largely compressed situations deposited on LAO (001) and tensile cases deposited on STO (001) but absent in little strained films grown on LSAT (001), indicating that the antiferromagnetic insulating state is favored by strains. On the other hand, the 400nm films deposited on (011)-oriented STO as well as LAO substrates show FMM–AFI transition. These results reveal that both the orientation of epitaxial growth and substrate-induced strain affect the FMM–AFI transition.