PULSED LASER DEPOSITION

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) using a high-power pulsed laser beam focused inside a vacuum chamber to strike a material that is vaporized in plasma plume. Often evaporation occurs in the presence of a background gas such as oxygen that is used by depositing the oxygenated films. Although PLD basic setup looks simple, the physical processes of laser beam interaction with target and film deposition are complex. Dynamic of the plasma plume and its interaction with substrate is complicated as well. Plume contains many energetic species including atoms, molecules, electrons, ions, clusters, particulates and molten globules, before depositing on the typically hot substrate.