Title: Structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of GdTiO3 Mott insulator thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition,
Abstract: We report on the optimization process to synthesize epitaxial thin films of
GdTiO3 on SrLaGaO4 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Optimized films are
free of impurity phases and are fully strained. They possess a magnetic Curie
temperature TC = 31.8 K with a saturation magnetization of 4.2 muB per formula
unit at 10 K. Transport measurements reveal an insulating response, as
expected. Optical spectroscopy indicates a band gap of 0.7 eV, comparable to
the bulk value. Our work adds ferrimagnetic orthotitanates to the palette of
perovskite materials for the design of emergent strongly correlated states at
oxide interfaces using a versatile growth technique such as pulsed laser
deposition.