Chemical solution deposition of multiferroic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, BaTiO3 thin films prepared by ink plotting

Ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO) as well as ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) thin films were prepared by chemical solution deposition (CSD). Based on these, a multiferroic architecture stack of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/BaTiO3 layers was developed. Aqueous, environment friendly precursor solutions were formulated for both materials. These are used for ink plotting on SrTiO3 (100) substrates. Films were subjected to a subsequent thermal treatment at the corresponding crystallization temperature. The structural as well as the magnetic and electric properties are presented. The Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic LSMO layer with a film thickness of only 60 nm was determined to 360 K. The magnetization curve indicates a hysteresis loop with a saturation magnetization above 400 emu/cm(3). The ferroelectric character of the BTO films was demonstrated by polarization curves. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.