Low-pressure-MOCVD LaMnO3±δ very thin films on YSZ (100) optimized for studies of the triple phase boundary

This paper deals with the preparation of LaMnO3±δ (LM) layers by low pressure-metal organic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) using La(tmhd)3 and Mn(acac)3 as organometallic precursors. By thermogravimetric analysis, these precursors were found to be suitable for LP-MOCVD in a well-defined range of total pressure and temperature of sublimation. The activation energies of the sublimation process were found to be independent of the pressure within the appropriate range (0.06–3 kPa) and their values were 177 and 100.5 kJ mol−1 for La(tmhd)3 and Mn(acac)3, respectively. LM layers of various thickness ranging between a few and a few hundred nanometers with a controlled La/Mn (L/M) ratio between 0.87 and 1.40 were grown by changing the deposition time and composition of the vapor phase. The influence of the deposition conditions and of the post-deposition treatment on the properties of the films was also studied.