Pulsed Laser Deposition of Thin Films

In 1964 Smith and Turner provided the first ever proof of concept for the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of thin films. The ability of PLD to deposit multicomponent oxide materials with complex stoichiometry as thin films in a controlled manner quickly evolved PLD into a valuable tool for thin-film ceramic material research. The effect of Ca-doped BaTiO₃ polycrystalline thin films deposited on Pt-coated Si substrates using pulsed excimer laser ablation technique is reported by Victor et al. Yttrium barium copper oxide, one of the most prevalent high-temperature superconductors, was one of the first complex materials to be successfully deposited as a thin film by using PLD. Oxide substrates have many advantages over Si and sapphire, including lower lattice mismatch with nitride thin films, less difference in coefficient of thermal expansion, ability to grow non-polar nitride films, and higher reactivity of oxides providing easy peeling of nitride films to obtain freestanding nitride thin films.