Pulsed laser deposition of Sr2FeMoO6 thin films

The effect of various deposition conditions and after-growth protocols on the magnetic and transport properties of Sr2FeMoO6 films has been explored. It is found that the saturation magnetization and the magnetoresistance (MR) are dominated by the degree of cationic order, and the strain effects are clearly evidenced in a lower TC. The after-growth annealing of the films and the deposition of a buffer layer has been found to relax the film strains. This translates into a clear increase of the measured low-field magnetoresistance ratios.