Very large magnetoresistance in perovskite-like La-Ca-Mn-O thin films

Colossal magnetoresistance with more than a thousandfold change in resistivity (ΔR/RH=127 000% at 77 K, H=6 T) has been obtained in epitaxially grown La-Ca-Mn-O thin films. This magnetoresistance value is about three orders of magnitude higher than is typically seen in the giant-magnetoresistance-type metallic, superlattice films. The temperature of peak magnetoresistance is located in the region of metallic resistivity behavior. As the magnetoresistance peak occurs not at the temperature of magnetic transition but at a temperature where the magnetization is still substantial, the spin-disorder scattering is not likely to be the main mechanism in these highly magnetoresistive films. The peak can be shifted to near room temperature by adjusting processing parameters. Near-room-temperature ΔR/RH values of ∼1300% at 260 K and ∼400% at 280 K have been observed. The presence of grain boundaries appears to be very detrimental to achieving large magnetoresistance in the lanthanum manganite compounds. The fact that the electrical resistivity of a material can be manipulated by magnetic field to change by orders of magnitude could be useful for various device applications.