Nanoscale magnetic structure and properties of solution-derived self-assembled La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 island

J. ZABALETA; M. JAAFAR; P. ABELLÁN; C. MONTON; O. IGLESIAS-FREIRE; F. SANDIUMENGE; C. A. RAMOS; R.D. ZYSLER; T. PUIG; A. ASENJO; N. MESTRES; X. OBRADORS

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS

AMER INST PHYSICS

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012 vol. 111 p. 24307 - 24307

0021-8979

Strain-induced self-assembled La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanoislands of lateral size 50-150 nm and height 10-40 nm have been grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia (001)-substrates from ultradiluted chemical solutions based on metal propionates. The nanoislands grow highly relaxed withstanding the epitaxial relation (001)LSMO [110]//(001)YSZ [010] and show bulk-like average magnetic properties in terms of Curie temperature and saturation magnetization. The interplay of the magnetocrystalline and shape anisotropy within the nanoisland ensemble results in an in-plane magnetic anisotropy with a magnetocrystalline constant K1(150) K= -5 kJ/m3 and in-plane easy axis along the [110] La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 direction as measured, for the first time, through ferromagnetic resonance experiments. Magnetic force microscopy studies reveal the correlation between nanoisland size and itsmagnetic domain structure in agreement with micromagnetic simulations. In particular, we  have established the required geometric conditions for single domain, multidomain, and vortex configurations.