Intrinsic inhomogeneities in manganite thin films investigated with scanning tunneling spectroscopy.
Thin films of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 on MgO show a metal insulator transition and colossal magnetoresistance. The shape of this transition can be explained by intrinsic spatial inhomogeneities, which give rise to a domain structure of conducting and insulating domains at the submicrometer scale. These domains then undergo a percolation transition. The tunneling conductance and tunneling gap measured by scanning tunneling spectroscopy were used to distinguish and visualize these domains.
Becker
T
T
I. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Goettingen, Bunsenstrasse 9, 37073 Goettingen, Germany.
Streng
C
C
Luo
Y
Y
Moshnyaga
V
V
Damaschke
B
B
Shannon
N
N
Samwer
K
K