Abstract
A La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin film epitaxially grown on a LaAlO3 (001) substrate by pulsed laser deposition has been investigated by means of low-temperature magnetic force microscopy under high stability conditions. The ferromagnetic film exhibits a stress-induced perpendicular easy axis of magnetization. The domain structure was imaged at zero field after (i) thermal demagnetization, (ii) saturation in an in-plane field and (iii) saturation in an out-of-plane magnetic field, respectively. Stripe domains were observed in all cases, however, contrast and domain width are increased after out-of-plane saturation while alignment of stripe domains in field direction occurs after in-plane saturation. A quantitative analysis of the image contrast suggests a variable in-plane component of the magnetization, dependent on the magnetic history of the sample. Calculations of domain width and contrast from the relevant energy contributions are compared with experimental results.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 51-59 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials |
Volume | 280 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2004 |
Keywords
- Domain structure
- Magnetic force microscopy
- Manganites
- Stripe domains
- Thin films