Pulsed laser deposited Sr₂FeMoO₆ thin films were
investigated for the first time with scanning tunneling microscopy and
spectroscopy. The results confirm atomic scale layer growth, with
step-terrace structure corresponding to a single lattice cell scale. The
spectroscopy research reveals a distribution of local electrical
properties linked to structural deformation in the initial thin film
layers at the film substrate interface. Significant hole structure
giving rise to electrically distinctive regions in thinner film also
seems to set a thickness limit for the thinnest films to be used in
applications.