Structural and magnetic properties of pulsed laser deposited SrRuO₃/CoFe₂O₄/La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ magnetic oxide heterostructures on SrTiO₃(001) and MgO(001)

We report on the growth of all-oxide SrRuO3/CoFe2O4/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 and La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/CoFe2O4/SrRuO3 heterostuctures on SrTiO3(001) and MgO(001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Structural analyses by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy clearly indicate the preservation of epitaxial relations when the La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 layer is grown first, whereas trilayers with SrRuO3 at the bottom are more disordered. Both the substrate material and the deposition sequence strongly influence the formation of various structural defects such as interfacial dislocations and sub-grain structures, and this is clearly reflected by a reduction of the saturation magnetization in the top electrode. When the substrate material and the deposition sequence are correctly chosen, however, the magnetic moments of the La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 and SrRuO3 layers reverse independently, and the La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 layer retains bulk-like magnetic properties