Synthesis of good quality LCMO/YBCO heterostructures by pulsed laser deposition technique S.K. Wanchoo a, * , J. Jasudasan b , V.C. Bagwe b , A.D. Thakur b , U.D. Vaishnav b , S.P. Pai b , A.M. Narsale a , R. Pinto b a Department of Physics, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (E), Mumbai 400 098, Maharashtra, India b Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400 005, India Abstract Deposition of multilayers of La 0:7 Ca 0:3 MnO 3 –YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7d offers great challenges and opportunities for future spin-based device applications. Pulsed laser deposition is a well-established and unique tool for making such highly stoichiometric, nearly single crystal-like epitaxial films. Here we discuss the synthesis of multi-component La 0:7 Ca 0:3 MnO 3 –YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7d oxide thin films and their heterostructures, which were grown in situ by sequential deposition of LCMO and YBCO thin films on Æ001æ LaAlO 3 substrate using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. We discuss the growth of these thin-film multi-layers, from the device applications point of view. The micro-structural properties, continuity and texture of the films were studied by using XRD, AFM and SEM. The good interface quality of these films was established using the secondary ion mass spectroscopy technique. Transport measurements on the individual layers of these heterostructures were carried out using a low temperature four-probe measurement setup. A Quantum design SQUID magnetometer was used to carry out the magnetization measurements on these multilayers, which display excellent superconducting and ferromagnetic properties of the heterostructures. Ó 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 74.25.Ha; 74.76.)w; 74.80.Dm Keywords: Heterostructures; Multilayers; Spintronics; Cationic inter-diffusion 1. Introduction The possible application of spin-injection de- vices in the field of ‘‘spintronics’’ has received a lot of attention of the researchers in the recent past. Such devices can be realized from super- conductor–ferromagnet (F/S) heterostructures. Such heterostructures have received a lot of at- tention because of their rich physics and potential applications. Development of such heterostruc- tures with the constituent layers having identical crystal structure and exhibiting superconducting and magnetic properties in the alternate layers is the most important requirement. Moreover these heterostructures must possess clean and sharp interfaces. If we are able to understand and control * Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-22-2652-8835; fax: +91- 22-2652-9780. E-mail address: sunilkwanchoo@rediffmail.com (S.K. Wanc- hoo). 0168-583X/$ - see front matter Ó 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0168-583X(03)01841-X Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 212 (2003) 539–544 www.elsevier.com/locate/nimb