Pulsed Laser Evaporation and Epitaxy

Abstract

The application of pulsed 1asers for vaporization (ablation) of solid targets appears to be the most natural way to produce high purity fluxes of atoms/ions suitabłe for epitaxial growth of thin fiłms. Since the early 1960's this unique approach has been the subject of steadily growing interest in the deposition of metals, dielectrics, semiconductors and since 1987, high-Tc superconductors. Laser induced target surface morphology changes, properties of laser induced vapours and pulsed deposition rate associated with the use of a pulsed 1aser for vacuum epitaxy are discussed. A pulsed 1aser evaporation and epitaxy (PLEE) system is described and the results of PLEE application for the growth of Cd1-x M n x T e a n d C d T e -C d 1 -x M n x T e quantum well and superlattice structures are reviewed. Feasibility of PLEE in bandgap engineering is also discussed.

Magnetooptical Analysis of Interface Mixing in Pulsed Laser Evaporation and Epitaxy Grown CdTe/Cd0.9Mn0.1Te Multiple Quantum Well and Superlattice

“…The Zeeman splitting of ground states of quantum wells with Cd 0 .7Mn0 . 3 Te barriers has been shown to be extremely sensitive to interface mixing between the nonmagnetic well and the barrier containing Mn++ ions, allowing to estimate the interface mixing range.In this work we test for the first time a superstucture grown using pulsed laser evaporation and epitaxy (PLEE) technique [2]. Besides testing the quality of the interface in the PLEE method, we shall try to estimate the useful range of the superstucture parameters, allowing efficient application of the magnetooptical method of interface characterization.…”

“…In this work we test for the first time a superstucture grown using pulsed laser evaporation and epitaxy (PLEE) technique [2]. Besides testing the quality of the interface in the PLEE method, we shall try to estimate the useful range of the superstucture parameters, allowing efficient application of the magnetooptical method of interface characterization.…”

Pulsed laser deposition of II–VI semiconductor thin films and their layered structures

“…Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a well-known method of depositing thin films and their composed structures [1][2][3][4]. It has been even recognised to be the most versatile method of the thin film preparation techniques [3].…”

“…The semiconducting A 2 -B 6 compounds, very important, from both the research and application point of view, belong to this class of materials. It is known that these materials sublimate congruently in the PLD process and the vapour phase consists of atomic species A 2 and B 6 [1,2]. This does not mean, however, that in the PLD process, the deposit obtained has to have the stochiometric composition of the target material.…”

“…A detailed description of this apparatus is given in [5]. The main novelty of the proposed solution, in comparison with the known solutions [1][2][3][4], is the use of a tripod-based optical switch that switches the laser radiation between three rotating targets in a time shorter than 0.1 s. The operation of the switch is computer controlled, and thereby a variety of layered thin film structures, made of the A 2 -B 6 compounds or their mixtures, can be obtained. This can be confirmed by the presented preliminary results of preparation of thin films of CdTe and CdHgZnTe.…”