Thin film growth by inverse pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

The properties of carbon nitride films deposited in inverse pulsed laser deposition (IPLD) geometry, in which the backward motion of the ablated species is utilised for film growth on substrates lying in the target plane, are compared with those grown simultaneously in the traditional on-axis position. Within the 2–50 Pa pressure window the growth rate of the IPLD films increases nearly linearly with the logarithm of nitrogen pressure, and exceeds that of their on-axis counterparts at around 20 Pa. The IPLD films are more protected against the deposition of micron-sized particulates, consist of smaller grains and exhibit denser structure than the on-axis films, especially above 10 Pa. The chemical structure of the films is unaffected by the geometry with slightly lower nitrogen content in the IPLD case. The morphological properties of IPLD films are superior to those grown in the classical configuration, suggesting that the advantageous contribution of hyperthermal energy species has not been lost in the inverse geometry.