Peter Schenck, John Hastie, Albert Paul, David Bonnell
Optical Engineering, Vol. 35, Issue 11, (November 1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/1.601042
TOPICS: Pulsed laser operation, Pulsed laser deposition, Thin films, Systems modeling, Imaging systems, Aluminum nitride, Optical engineering, Diagnostics, Plasma, Ferroelectric materials
Optical multichannel emission spectroscopy and intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) imaging have been applied to real-time, in situ gas-phase species identification during the pulsed excimer or Nd:YAG laser deposition of various ceramic thin films. A plume gasdynamic expansion model has been developed and used to predict the outer-edge plume front locations for comparison with those observed in the ICCD images. Good agreement was found between the model and ICCD images, with plume temperatures indicated by the model to be typically between 10,000 and 50,000 K. The systems studied include PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3 (PZT), BaTiO3 , AlN, and BN. When high laser fluences were used, ICCD imaging also revealed strong evidence for interactions between the laser and the near-surface plume. Plume particulates were also noted at long times following the laser pulse.