Epitaxial growth of La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates by metal–organic deposition

La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 thin films have been epitaxially grown on SrTiO3 (0 0 1) single-crystal substrates by metal–organic deposition process. Crystallinity and morphology of the obtained films were examined in detail using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The evolution of the out-of-plane lattice parameter with film thickness is investigated. The critical thickness for strain relaxation is found in the 60–80 nm range. The electrical properties of the obtained films in various conditions have been investigated. By increasing the annealing temperature to 1000 °C and the film thickness to 120 nm, the electrical resistivity was decreased by several orders of magnitude. We measured a resistivity of approximately 5 × 10−4 Ω cm in a wide interval of temperature 77–320 K, making this material a promising candidate for a variety of applications.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights▶ La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 thin films can be successfully epitaxially grown on SrTiO3 (0 0 1) single-crystal substrates by metal–organic deposition (MOD) process. ▶ Electrical transport properties are strongly dependent on the preparation conditions and strain state.