Epitaxial growth of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films by KrF excimer laser assisted metal organic deposition process

Epitaxial La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) films were prepared on SrTiO3 single-crystal substrates by metal organic deposition (MOD) process. A KrF excimer laser irradiation at a substrate temperature of 500 8C is successfully used instead of thermal annealing at high temperature to perform the epitaxial growth of the LCMO thin films. The epitaxial growth was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD: u–2u scans and pole figure analysis). Morphology and surface properties of the obtained films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) was calculated from the temperature dependence of the resistance measurements. A TCR of about 6% was obtained for the excimer laser annealed films which is considered a good value for bolometric applications.