Exchange bias effect and enhanced magnetoresistance in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3∕SrTiO3 superlattices

Abstract

The magnetization and electrical transport in the superlattices consisting of ferromagnetic La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 and nonmagnetic insulating SrTiO3 layers have been investigated. A significant displacement of the hysteresis loop along the field axis is observed when the sample is field-cooled through the blocking temperature TB. The strength of displacement, termed as exchange field HE, is found to exponentially decay with temperature. The magnetoresistance in field-cooling process is obviously enhanced compared to that in zero-field-cooling process. The existence of the disordered spin state at the interface is suggested to be the origin of such phenomena.