Suppression of magnetic phase separation in epitaxial SrCoOx films

Using pulsed laser deposition and a unique fast quenching method, we have prepared SrCoOx epitaxial films on SiTiO3 substrates. As electrochemical oxidation increases the oxygen content from x = 2.75 to 3.0, the films tend to favor the discrete magnetic phases seen in bulk samples for the homologous series SrCoO(3-n/8) (n = 0, 1, 2). Unlike bulk samples, 200 nm thick films remain single phase throughout the oxidation cycle. 300 nm films can show two simultaneous phases during deoxidation. These results are attributed to finite thickness effects and imply the formation of ordered regions larger than approximately 300 nm. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4801646]