Optimization of large-area YBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-δ)thin films by pulsed laser deposition for planar microwave devices

This paper presents high quality YBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-δ)(YBCO)thin films on LaAlO_(3)substrate for microwave devices prepared by pulsed laser deposition(PLD).The double-sided YBCO films cover a large area and have been optimized for key parameters relevant to microwave device applications,such as surface morphology and surface resistance(R_(s)).This was achieved by improving the target quality and increasing the oxygen pressure during deposition,respectively.To evaluate the suitability of the YBCO films for microwave devices,a pair of microwave filters based on microstrip fabricated on films from this work and a commercial company were compared.The results show that the YBCO films in this work could completely meet the requirements for microwave devices.

Exploration of growth conditions of TaAs Weyl semimetal thin film using pulsed laser deposition

Ta As,the first experimentally discovered Weyl semimetal material,has attracted a lot of attention due to its high carrier mobility,high anisotropy,nonmagnetic properties and strong interaction with light.These make it an ideal candidate for the study of Weyl fermions and applications in quantum computation,thermoelectric devices,and photodetection.For further basic physics studies and potential applications,large-size and high-quality Ta As films are urgently needed.However,it is difficult to grow As-stoichiometry Ta As films due to the volatilization of As during the growth.To solve this problem,we attempted to grow Ta As films on different substrates using targets with different As stoichiometric ratios via pulsed laser deposition(PLD).In this work,we found that partial As ions of the Ga As substrate are likely to diffuse into the Ta As films during growth,which was preliminarily confirmed by structural characterization,surface topography and composition analysis.As a result,the As content in the Ta As film was improved and the Ta As phase was achieved.Our work presents an effective method for the fabrication of Ta As films using PLD,enabling possible use of the Weyl semimetal film for functional devices.

Preparation of Highly Textured Bi and MnBi Films by the Pulsed Laser Deposition Method

Textured Bi and MnBi/Bi thin films are prepared by the pulsed laser deposition method. The highly c-axis textured MnBi films are obtained by annealing the bilayer consisting of textured Bi and Mn films. The eoercivities of the MnBi/Bi film are 1.5 T and 2.35 T at room temperature and at 373K, respectively, showing a positive temperature coefficient. Microstructural investigations show that the textured MnBi film results from the orientated growth induced by the textured Bi under-layer.

Growth of High-Quality Superconducting FeSe0.5Te0.5 Thin Films Suitable for Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Measurements via Pulsed Laser Deposition

High-quality superconducting FeSe0.5 Te0.5 films are epitaxiMly grown on different substrates by using the pulsed laser deposition method. By measuring the transport properties and surface morphology of films grown on single- crystal substrates of Al2O3 （0001）, SrTiO3 （001）, and MgO （001）, as well as monitoring the real-time growth process on MgO substrates with reflection high energy electron diffraction, we find the appropriate parameters for epitaxial growth of high-quality FeSe0.5 Te0.5 thin films suitable for angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements. We further report the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy characterization of the super- conducting films. The clearly resolved Fermi surfaces and the band structure suggest a sample quality that is as good as that of high-quality single-crystals, demonstrating that the pulsed laser deposition method can serve as a promising technique for in situ preparation and manipulation of iron-based superconducting thin films, which may bring new prosperity to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy research on iron-based superconductors.

Improvement of Surface Morphology of Yttrium-Stabilized Zirconia Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition on Rolling Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrate Tapes

The surface morphology of buffer layer yttrium-stabilized zirconia （YSZ） of YBa2CuaO7-σ （YBCO） high temperature superconducting films relies on a series of controllable experimental parameters. In this work, we focus on the influence of pulsed laser frequency and target crystalline type on surface morphology of YSZ films deposited by pulsed laser deposition （PLD） on rolling assisted biaxially textured substrate tapes. Usually two kinds of particles are observed in the YSZ layer： randomly distributed ones on the whole film and self-assembled ones along grain boundaries. SEM images are used to prove that particles can be partly removed when choosing dense targets of single crystalline. Lower frequency of pulsed laser also contributes to a smoother film surface. TEM images are used to view the crystalline structure of thin film. Thus we can obtain a basic understanding of how to prepare a particle-free YSZ buffer layer for YBCO in optimized conditions using PLD. The YBCO layer with nice structure and critical current density of around 5 MA/cm2 can be reached on smooth YSZ samples.

High temperature thermoelectric properties of highly c-axis oriented Bi_2Sr_2Co_2O_y thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

High-temperature thermoelectric transport property measurements have been performed on the highly c-axis oriented Bi2Sr2Co20v thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on LaA1Oa （001）. Both the electric resistivity p and the seebeck coefficient S of the film exhibit an increasing trend with the temperature from 300 K-1000 K and reach up to 4.8 m. cm and 202 V/K at 980 K, resulting in a power factor of 0.85 mW/mK which are comparable to those of the single crystalline samples. A small polaron hopping conduction can be responsible for the conduction mechanism of the film at high temperature. The results demonstrate that the Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin film has potential application has high temperature thin film thermoelectric devices,

STRUCTURE AND SURFACE STUDIES OF Mg_xZn_(1-x)O FILMS GROWN BY PULSED LASER DEPOSITION

The structural and surface properties of high-quality epitaxial cubic MgxZn1-xO films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) were studied by X-ray diffracti on and atomic force microscopy respectively. For films of about 500nm thick, sca ns over a 30μm × 30μm area revealed a surface roughness Ra of about 100nm. Th is relatively large surface roughness is primarily attributed to the particulate and outgrowth during the PLD process. A good epitaxial growth on LaAlO3 (LAO ) (100) substrates, however has been obtained for composition x = 0.9, 0.7 and 0 .5 with the heteroepitaxial relationship of (100)■∥(100)LAO (out-of-plane) and (011)■∥(010)LAO (in-plane). These structural qualities suggest that cubic Mgx Zn1-xO alloys films have good potential in a variety of optoelectronic device ap plications.

Growth of Erbium Dihydride Films under Low Hydrogen Pressure by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Erbium dihydride thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on Si（100） substrates using erbium target under different low hydrogen pressures. The properties of these films were examined by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. Surface morphology reveals the smooth surface of these films （RMS： from 0.503 to 2.849 nm）. The presence of obviously-broadened peaks for diffraction planes （111） suggests a presence of very tiny crystallites distributed along a preferred crystallographic orientation. Transmission electron microscopy investigations confirmed the formation of tiny crystallites due to the implantation of erbium ions. Due to the increase of nominal H concentration, the intensity of the broad absorbance from 190-260 nm increased.

Comparison of ZnO Films Grown on before- and after-vapor Transport Equilibration (VTE) LiAlO_2 Substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)

About φ45 mm LiAlO2 single crystal was grown by Czochralski （Cz） technique. However, the full-width at half-maximum （FWHM） value was high to 116.9 arcsec. After three vapor transport equilibration （VTE） processes, we can obtain high-quality LiAlO2 slice with the FWHM value of 44.2 arcsec. ZnO films were fabricated on as-grown slices and after-VTE ones by pulsed laser deposition （PLD）. It was found that ZnO films on the two slices have similar crystallinity, optical transmittance and optical band gap at room temperature. These results not only show that LAO substrate is suitable for ZnO growth, but also prove that the crystal quality of LAO substrate slightly affects the structural and optical properties of ZnO film.

Preparation and Properties of IrO_2 Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique

Highly conductive IrO2 thin films were prepared on Si （100） substrates by means of pulsed laser deposition technique from an iridium metal target in an oxygen ambient atmosphere. Emphasis was put on the effect of oxygen pressure and substrate temperature on the structure, morphology and resistivity of IrO2 films. It was found that the above properties were strongly dependent on the oxygen pressure and substrate temperature. At 20 Pa oxygen ambient pressure, pure polycrystalline IrO2 thin films were obtained at substrate temperature in the 300-500℃ range with the preferential growth orientation of IrO2 films changed with the substrate temperature. IrO2 films exhibited a uniform and densely packed granular morphology with an average feature size increasing with the substrate temperature. The room-temperature resistivity variations of IrO2 films correlated well with the corresponding film morphology changes. IrO2 films with the minimum resistivity of （42 ±6）μΩ·cm was obtained at 500℃.

Influence of Ambient Gas and Oxygen Pressure on Nd∶LuVO_4 Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

The （ 200 ） dominated Nd： LuVO4 films were fabricated successfully on polished SlOE under different ambient gases and different oxygen pressures. By XRD, it is shown that a film with good crystallization is deposited under oxygen and the optimal pressure is 20 Pa. The surface morphology of Nd：LuVO4 films was observed by AFM, and it is found that oxygen pressure influences the surface morphology of Nd ：LuVO4 films. The ratio of content of Nd：LuVO4 films was estimated according to the yields of Lu and V by using RBS spectra, this ratio is in good agreement with the target composition. The effective index refractive of every mode is 2.0044, 1.7098, measured by prism coupler method.

Structural and Optical Properties of Ce^(3+), Yb^(3+) Co-doped YAG Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Ce3＋, Yb3＋ co-doped Y3Al5O12 films were prepared by pulse laser deposition. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize their structural and luminescent properties. Near-infrared quantum cutting from the films was observed via a cooperative energy transfer from Ce3＋ to Yb3＋ ions. The high quantum efficiency of the films implies that Ce3＋,Yb3＋ co-doped Y3A15O12 films have potential application by tuning the solar spectrum to enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells.

Field Emission Properties of Nano-DLC Films Prepared on Cu Substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Nano-diamond like carbon（DLC） thin films were prepared on fused silica and Cu substrates by the pulsed-laser deposition technique with different laser intensities. Step-measurement, atomic force microscope（AFM）, UV-VIS-NIR transmittance spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the films. It was shown that the deposition rate increases with the laser intensity, and the films prepared under different laser intensities show different transparency. Raman measurement showed that the content of sp^3 of the Nano-DLC thin films decreases with the laser intensity. The field emission properties of the Nano-DLC thin films on Cu substrates were studied by the conventional diode method, which showed that the turn-on field increases and the current density decreases with sp^3 content in the films. A lower turn-on field of 6 V/um and a higher current density of 1 uA/cm^2 were obtained for Nano-DLC thin films on Cu substrate.

Properties of multilayer gallium and aluminum doped ZnO(GZO/AZO) transparent thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition process

Multilayer gallium and aluminum doped ZnO (GZO/AZO) films were fabricated by alternative deposition of Ga-doped zinc oxide(GZO) and Al-doped zinc oxide(AZO) thin film by using pulsed laser deposition(PLD) process. The electrical and optical properties of these GZO/AZO thin films were investigated and compared with those of GZO and AZO thin films. The GZO/AZO (1:1) thin film deposited at 400 °C shows the electrical resistivity of 4.18×10-4 Ω·cm, an electron concentration of 7.5×1020 /cm3, and carrier mobility of 25.4 cm2/(V·s). The optical transmittances of GZO/AZO thin films are over 85%. The optical band gap energy of GZO/AZO thin films linearly decreases with increasing the Al ratio.

Preparation and Characterization of Cu-Zn Nano-Structural Ferrite Thin Films Produced by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)

Cu-Zn ferrite nano thin films were deposited from a target of Cu-Zn ferrite onto a sapphire substrate using XeCl excimer laser operating 308 nm with an energy of 225 mJ and a frequency of 30 Hz. Films were deposited from the target onto sapphire (001) substrates heated to 650℃ in an oxygen atmosphere of 100 mTorr. The laser beam was incident On the target face at an angle of 45°. Studies on crystal structure were done by X-ray diffactometry (XRD). The surface texture, cross-section morphology and grain size was observed by JEOL-JSM-6400 scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) [Model DI 3000, Digital instruments].

Development of a Low Cost Pulsed Laser Deposition System for Thin Films Growth

.Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is a powerful technique to grow thin films. Oxides, Magnetics and superconducting materials have been obtained by PLD and theirs properties are strongly dependent of deposition parameters. The construction of a simple and cheap PLD system that is suitable for growing various thin films, including magnetic materials, controlling some deposition parameters is presented. The design characteristics and construction are presented for each one of the devices that compose this PLD system. The equipment has the possibility of carrying out films deposition using up to five targets under controlled atmosphere and substrate temperature. The system also allows controlling the cool off sample time after growing up films at high temperatures. A wide range of relative speeds between target and substrate axial rotation can be externally controlled. With the configuration and the dimensions adopted in their construction, a PLD system of great experimental flexibility is achieved, at a very low cost regarding the commercial systems. To evaluate their performance and effectiveness, the deposition characteristics of a BaFe12O19 film on (0001) sapphire substrate is presented.

XPS study of BZT thin film deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO_2/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition

Ferroelectric materials were widely applied for actuators and sensors. Barium zirconate titanate Ba(Zr0.25Ti0.75)O3 thin film was grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Structure and surface morphology of the thin film were studied by X-ray diffractometry(XRD) and scan electronic microscopy(SEM). The composition and chemical state near the film surface were obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). On the sample surface,O 1s spectra can be assigned to those from the lattice and surface adsorbed oxygen ions,while C1s only result from surface contamination. The result shows that only one chemical state is found for each spectrum of Ba 3d,Zr 3d and Ti 2p photoelectron in the BZT thin film.

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of growth of BaTiO_3 thin film via pulsed laser deposition

Considering the characteristics of perovskite structure, a kinetic Monte Carlo(KMC) model, in which Born-Mayer- Huggins(BMH) potential was introduced to calculate the interatomic interactions and the bonding ratio was defined to reflect the crystallinity, was developed to simulate the growth of BaTiO3 thin film via pulsed laser deposition(PLD). Not only the atoms deposition and adatoms diffusion, but also the bonding of adatoms were considered distinguishing with the traditional algorithm. The effects of substrate temperature, laser pulse repetition rate and incident kinetic energy on BaTiO3 thin film growth were investigated at submonolayer regime. The results show that the island density decreases and the bonding ratio increases with the increase of substrate temperature from 700 to 850 K. With the laser pulse repetition rate increasing, the island density decreases while the bonding ratio increases. With the incident kinetic energy increasing, the island density decreases except 6.2 eV<Ek<9.6 eV, and the bonding ratio increases at Ek<9.6 eV. The simulation results were discussed compared with the previous experimental results.

Effects of Annealing Temperature on Properties of ZnO Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

ZnO thin films are deposited on n-Si(111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition(PLD) system. Then the samples are annealed at different temperatures in air ambient and their properties are investigated particularly as a function of annealing temperature. The microstructure, morphology and optical properties of the as-grown ZnO films are studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD), atomic force microscope(AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and photoluminescence(PL) spectra. The results show that the as-grown ZnO films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred c-axis orientation. Moreover, the diameters of the ZnO crystallites become larger and the crystal quality of the ZnO films is improved with the increase of annealing temperature.