Deposition of oxide and intermetallic thin films by pulsed laser (PLD) and electron beam (PED) methods

Abstract

In this work the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the pulsed electron beam deposition (PED) techniques were used for fabrication of Mo-Bi2O3, La1-xSrxCoO3, La1-xCaxCoO3 and Al-Mg thin films. An influence of ablation process basic parameters on the coatings structure and properties was discussed. Two types of laser ablation systems were applied: one equipped with a KrF excimer and second with a Q-switched Nd:YAG. Films were deposited on Si and MgO substrates. Scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for structural analysis. Investigations focused on structure and chemical composition showed that smooth and dense thin films with nanocrystalline structure, preserving the composition of the bulk target, could be obtained by the both PLD and PED techniques. Research study showed that by a proper selection of PLD and PED process parameters it was possible to deposit films with significantly decreased amount and size of undesirably nanoparticulates.