Robust ferromagnetism in insulating La$_2$NiMnO$_6$ thin films

Abstract: The field of oxide spintronics can strongly benefit from the establishment of robust ferromagnetic insulators with near room-temperature Curie temperature. Here we investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of atomically-precise epitaxially-strained thin films of the double perovskite La$_2$NiMnO$_6$ (LNMO) grown by off-axis radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. We find that the films retain both a strong insulating behavior and a bulk-like Curie temperature in the order of 280 K, nearly independently from epitaxial strain conditions. These results suggest a prospective implementation of LNMO films in multi-layer device architectures where a high-temperature ferromagnetic insulating state is a prerequisite.