Electrical transport and magnetic properties of perovskite-type electron-doped La–Pr–Mn–O epitaxial films

La1−xPrxMnO3 (LPrMO) thin films have been epitaxially grown on (1 0 0)SrTiO3 single-crystal substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. The films have a perovskite structure and give rise to the colossal magnetoresistance effect with the maximum magnetoresistance ratio of 103% (at 240 K and 5 T). The electrical transport and magnetic properties have been investigated for the La0.8Pr0.2MnO3 film with thickness 3000 Å. The results indicate that the films have quite a distinctive magnetotransport behavior compared to the bulk. The analysis of X-ray photoemission spectroscopy suggests that the valence state of Pr is 4+ in LPrMO film. Therefore, the epitaxial film is most likely an electron-doped colossal magnetoresistance system.