Effect of substrate orientation on charge ordering behavior in Sm0.5Ca0.5MnO3 epitaxial films

The effect of anisotropic strain induced by SrTiO3 (STO) substrate with different orientations on charge ordering (CO) behavior in epitaxial Sm0.5Ca0.5MnO3 (SCMO) films was investigated using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy at 103 K. Incommensurate modulated structure caused by CO transition was observed in the SCMO film grown on a [101]-oriented STO substrate while none were found for SCMO film grown on a [100]-oriented STO substrate. This distinctive orientation-dependent CO transition is correlated with anisotropic strain in the films induced by lattice mismatch, confirming the previous results for growth on different substrates.

► Effect of substrate orientation on charge ordering behavior in epitaxial films.
► Correlation between the CO transition and strain state in manganite films.
► Incommensurate modulation observed in the SCMO/(101)STO films at 103 K.