Structural and magnetic properties of GdSr2RuCu2O8 films

Films of the rutheno-cuprate compound GdSr2RuCu2O8 were grown by on-axis dc sputtering technique, at temperature T-s = 837 degrees C and in pure oxygen atmosphere. Structural and compositional measurements have been performed on samples prepared on different substrates and at different ex situ annealing procedures. In particular, a detailed analysis of the structure and the local composition of the films have been obtained by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) of scanning electron microscope (SEM). The films resulted c-axis oriented and single phased. We show the results obtained on a sample deposited on LaAlO3 substrate, (100) oriented. Magnetic measurements as function of temperature from 1.9 K to 400 K and applied magnetic fields up to 7 T are discussed. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.