Effects of annealing on structure and composition of LSMO thin films

The effects of annealing on structure and composition of LSMO thin films grown by the means of DC magnetron sputtering have been investigated with the assistance of X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The first LSMO-related diffraction peak (A) appears on the sample prepared at 1023 K and shifts toward low-angle direction at higher temperature. A new diffraction peak (B) related to LaMnOx is observed on the sample prepared at 1073 K that becomes stronger with increasing annealing temperature. AFM images display the corresponding morphology evolutions. XPS results reveal that LaMnOx is formed due to strontium segregation on the LSMO surface at a temperature higher than 1023 K. Meanwhile, we find that a new ingredient appears from 973 to 1023 K and disappears from 1073 K to 1123 K, which is predicted to exist as semiconductor or insulator on the surface.