A Novel Approach for Fabricating LaMnO3 Thin Films Using Combined Microwave Combustion and Pulsed Electron Deposition Techniques

LaMnO3 (LMO) nanopowder was synthesized by the microwave combustion method using glycine and nitrate salts of La and Mn as precursors. The as-prepared LMO powder was pressed at high pressure and annealed at 1000°C for 8 hours to make a target for thin film deposition. The structural and elemental analysis was obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Thin films of LMO were fabricated using pulsed electron deposition (PED) at room temperature. The effects of discharge voltage and oxygen/argon flux ratio on the produced thin films were studied. The study shows that stoichiometry and structure of the target was preserved well in the thin films prepared with a discharge voltage from 14 to 15 kV, while the oxygen/nitrogen flux ratio did not show a clear effect on the quality of thin films.