Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

When thin films are patterned to realize nanoscale device geometries, maintaining their structural integrity is key to the quality of their functional properties. The introduction of new surfaces and interfaces by lateral modifications may alter material properties as well as the expected device functionality. In this study, two different techniques for nanoscale patterning of epitaxial thin films of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 are used to investigate the effects on their ferromagnetic properties and film crystalline structure. Nanomagnets are realized as free-standing structures and embedded ferromagnets in a paramagnetic matrix, respectively. We find that the magnetic dichroism signal in x-ray spectomicroscopy is stronger along the edges of the embedded magnets close to TC. X-ray-diffraction measurements reveal a reduction of their in-plane lattice parameters. We discuss how in-plane stress from the nanomagnet surroundings can affect the magnetic properties in these structures.