Introduction to Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD)

Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is a technique that uses laser to bombard a target material, depositing the resulting plasma onto a substrate for thin film growth.

principle

On the surface of the target material, at a sufficiently high energy density and a sufficiently short pulse time, the target material absorbs laser energy and rapidly increases the temperature at the spot to above the evaporation temperature of the target material, causing the target material to evaporate into a localized high-temperature high-density plasma. Under the continued action of the laser beam, the temperature and pressure of the plasma rapidly increase, and then bombard the substrate surface to deposit a thin film.

characteristic

1. It is possible to achieve full equivalent coating on composite materials with complex chemical compositions, which is easy to ensure the stability of chemical stoichiometry after coating. The biggest advantage of PLD is its easy consistency with the target material composition, which is the main distinguishing feature from other technologies.;

2. High deposition rate, short test cycle, low substrate temperature requirements, and uniform preparation of thin films;

3. Strong directionality and high film resolution, capable of achieving micro deposition;

4. The process parameters can be adjusted arbitrarily without any restrictions on the type of target material;

5. During the growth process, process gases can be introduced in situ, and active or inert and mixed gases can be introduced to improve the quality of the film;

6. Easy to grow multilayer and heterojunction films, especially heterojunction structures of multiple oxides;

In a high vacuum environment, feather glow only evaporates and deposits in local areas, causing minimal pollution to the vacuum chamber.

application

Pulse laser deposition technology has a wide range of applications, and almost all materials except for those that are transparent to the laser can use PLD to grow thin films. It can be used to prepare thin films of various substances such as metals, semiconductors, oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, silicides, sulfides, and fluorides, and even to prepare some difficult to synthesize material films, such as diamond and cubic nitride films.