Interfacial interaction driven enhancement in the colossal magnetoresistance property of ultra-thin heterostructure of Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3 in proximity with Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3

Abstract

The ultra-thin heterostructure of Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3(15 nm)/Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3(15 nm)/SrTiO3 fabricated using pulsed laser deposition technique exhibits the phase-segregated nature wherein the ferromagnetism of Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3, and the antiferromagnetic state of Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 coexist in proximity. The observation of two exciting phenomena in the grown ultra-thin heterostructure, namely, the kinetic arrest and training effect, confirms its phase-segregated nature. The melting of the antiferromagnetic state in Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 into a ferromagnetic state due to the interfacial interaction arising from the magnetic proximity of the ferromagnetic clusters of Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3 have been observed. A metal–insulator transition (TMIT) found at 215 K, close to its Curie temperature (TCurie) observed at 230 K, reveals a strong correlation between the electrical transport and the magnetization of the ultra-thin heterostructure. The electrical conduction in the high-temperature regime is explained in terms of the adiabatic small polaron hopping model. While the resistance in the metallic regime for temperatures above 100 K is contributed by the inelastic scattering due to the two-magnons, in the metallic regime below 100 K, the one-magnon inelastic scattering contribution is prevalent. An enhanced colossal magnetoresistance property near room temperature is obtained in the ultra-thin heterostructure arising from the proximity-driven interfacial interaction, making it a suitable candidate for technological applications near room temperature.