Lateral parameter variations on the properties of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 films prepared on Si (1 0 0) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) is an interesting colossal magnetoresistance material for application in electronic and spintronics devices. A phenomenon in the planner magnetron sputtering of the LSMO films that is not well investigated as yet are the laterally non-uniform film properties resulting from the laterally inhomogeneous erosion of the target material, whereby the lateral distribution of the film properties depend strongly on the deposition parameters. The lateral distributions of the electrical, magnetic and structural properties of LSMO films prepared by dc magnetron sputtering on Si substrates are investigated across a distance of 64 mm using four-point probe, vibrating sample magnetometer and X-ray diffraction. In room temperature the TMI and Tc of this film without any additional buffer layer are 245 K and 325 K, respectively, which makes them very interesting as spin source in Si based technology. Hence, it seems that sputter deposited LSMO is a promising CMR materials for spintronics devices.