Magneto-optical properties of BaTiO3/La0.76Sr0.24MnO3/BaTiO3 heterostructures

Abstract

The magnetic properties of epitaxial BaTiO3/La0.76Sr0.24MnO3/BaTiO3 (BTO/LSMO/BTO) heterostructures have been studied using magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) technique. Both longitudinal and polar MOKE were probed as a function of magnetic field and temperature (in the range between 80 and 320 K) for epitaxial films of BTO/LSMO/BTO and LSMO grown on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. The LSMO film without the BTO layers exhibits nearly square field-dependent MOKE hysteresis loops with low saturation fields below a bulk-like Curie temperature (TC) of ∼ 350K. In contrast, the film with the BTO layers exhibits a significantly suppressed TC of 155 K, accompanied by significantly enhanced coercive fields and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.