Electrical Noise in Ultra Thin Giant Magnetoresistors

We report measurements of low frequency 1/f excess noise for the series of La0.75Sr0.25MnO3 (LSMO) giant magnetoresistive thin epitaxial films with thickness of 42, 50, 100, and 600 Å. Fabricated manganite films experience semiconductor-normal metal (paramagnetic-ferromagnetic) phase transition with the temperature change. The transition manifests itself by the sharp change of resistivity and characteristic peak of magnetoresistivity. Thickness decrease results in lowering the transition temperature and increasing of resistivity. The noise spectra has 1/fa behavior with a ≈ 1± 0.2. The voltage fluctuations spectral density shows quadratic dependence on current indicating that observed noise is caused by the resistance fluctuations. Noise level, temperature coefficient of resisistvity and magnetoresistance increase for thin films. Therefore, the operation point (transition temperature) can be tailored from 330 K to 220 K by changing only the film thickness while the performance of temperature and magnetic field LSMO sensors can be maintained almost constant in thickness range down to 100 Å.