Atomic Processes of Pulsed Laser Deposition During Growth of Alkaline Earth Oxide Thin Films

Abstract

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is one of the most powerful techniques to deposit thin films of multielemental materials such as electronic functional oxides. The PLD is a quite simple and convenient technique, so it is easy to prepare a variety of thin films. However, the physics beyond process has not been fully understood. The comprehension of PLD physics is expected to be fundamental to lead the improvement of thin films quality. This chapter investigates the physical processes of PLD, describing unique photochemical reaction during laser ablation , then discusses how conditions of the laser affect the ablation process for the very simple case of the ablation of alkaline earth metals. In this part, a unique photochemical process is shown. In the latter part of the chapter, it is introduced a technique based on in situ reflection of high-energy electron diffraction, to monitor the PLD process in real time. We consider that the studies reported in this chapter will be a first step enabling the PLD fabricating “tailored” oxide heterostructures and playing a key role in new physics.