Effect of CO2 laser irradiation on the transport properties of La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 thin film

The effect of CO2 laser irradiation on La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 epitaxial thin film was investigated. Epitaxial thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition were irradiated by a CO2 laser in air for 10–60 s. It is shown that after CO2 laser irradiation treatment, the crystallinity of the film is strongly enhanced. It is found that a dramatic decrease in the resistivity of the CO2-laser-irradiated film is accompanied by a remarkable increase in its insulator–metal transition temperature and the temperature coefficient of resistance. This significant improvement of its structure and properties is achieved in several dozens of seconds and surpasses that observed in films annealed in an oxygen atmosphere at 900 ∘C for 12 h, suggesting that CO2 laser irradiation is a new and effective tool to optimize CMR manganites for bolometric applications.