Charge order in photosensitive Bi0.4Ca0.6MnO3 films

Abstract

We report structural and electronic characterization of the charge order phase in Bi0.4Ca0.6MnO3 films, in which photoinduced resistivity changes have been observed at temperatures approaching room temperature. In all films, lattice distortions associated with the charge order are observed, and both the wavevectors and displacements of the distortions are in the plane of the film. Films under compressive and tensile strain are observed to have different resonant x-ray scattering characteristics-- a result that may shed light on the mechanism responsible for the photosensitivity exhibited by this material.