We have successfully grown epitaxial La$_{ 1.67}$Sr$_{ 0.33}$NiO$_4$ films with a small crystalline mosaic using pulsed laser deposition. With synchrotron radiation, the x-ray diffraction peaks associated with charge stripes have been successfully observed for relatively thick films. Anomalies due to the charge-ordering transition have been examined using four-point probe resistivity measurements. X-ray scattering provides direct evidence for suppression of the stripe phase in thin samples; the phase disappears for film thicknesses $\leqslant$ 2600 ~\AA{ }. The suppression appears to be a result of shrinking the stripe phase domains. This may reflect the stripe phase progressing from nematic to isotropic.
Categories: cond-mat.str-el cond-mat.mtrl-sci