On- and Off-AXIS Large-Area Pulsed Laser Deposition

Abstract

Over the past few years Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) has become a popular technique for the deposition of a wide variety of thin films, and PLD systems are currently found in numerous industrial, government, university, and military laboratories. At present, it is estimated that well over 200 different materials have been deposited by PLD and the list keeps growing. However, even with all the interest in laser deposition the technique has not yet emerged as an industrial process. At the moment, industry still prefers standard thin film growth techniques such as magnetron and ion beam sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, and electron beam evaporation for production applications. These processes have been in use for decades and have demonstrated the ability to deposit films of most materials over large areas with excellent uniformity at reasonable cost and deposition rates. Furthermore, an entire infrastructure has been built up to support these processes including standardization of deposition rate monitors, power sources, target and crucible sizes, etc. On the other hand, laser-deposition is still an emerging technology, and relatively little infrastructure exists to adequately support either research or industrial applications. Since there are several materials which are difficult if not impossible to grow in thin-film form by more conventional techniques, it is expected that as pulsed laser-deposition matures this unique process will take its rightful place on the manufacturing line.