Field- and Angle-Dependent AC Susceptibility in Multigrain La0.66Sr0.34MnO3 Thin Films on YSZ(001) Substrates

Experimental and numerical investigations of the alternating current (AC) susceptibility, χH ~ dM/dH, examined multigrain La_0.66Sr_0.34MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films (thickness <i>d</i> = 250 nm) grown by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on lattice-mismatched yttria-stabilized zirconia YSZ(001) substrates. The films exhibit a columnar structure comprising two types of grains, with (001)- and (011)-oriented planes of a pseudocubic lattice aligned parallel to the film surface. Field- and angle-dependent AC susceptibility measurements at 78 K reveal characteristic peak- and tip-like anomalies, attributed to contributions from grains with three distinct directions of easy magnetization axes within the film plane. Numerical modeling based on the transverse susceptibility theory for single-domain ferromagnetic grains, incorporating first- and second-order anisotropy constants, corroborates the experimental findings and elucidates the role of different grain types in magnetization switching and AC susceptibility response. This study provides a quantitative determination of the three in-plane easy magnetization axes in LSMO/YSZ(001) films and clarifies their influence on the magnetization dynamics of multigrain thin films. The demonstrated control over multigrain LSMO/YSZ(001) thin films with distinct in-plane easy magnetization axes and well-characterized AC susceptibility suggests potential applications in magnetic memory, spintronic devices, and precision magnetic sensing.