Combinatorial pulsed laser deposition of thin films

Abstract

Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is an ideal technique to be used for combinatorial approaches. By simply changing the deposition targets one can obtain alternating layers with different periodicities both vertically and laterally, along the substrate surface. By changing the laser impact area location and the number of pulses on each target used for ablation, one can grow films with a continuous variation of the chemical composition, which will be a function of the location on the substrate. To illustrate the advantages and versatility of this Combinatorial PLD (C-PLD) technique, several examples of films used in applications where more than one property should be tailored or optimized are presented. Investigations of thermo-chemical stability, chemical bonding and crystalline structure of thin films of mixtures of HfO2 and Al2O3 that are used as high-k dielectric layers in advanced C-MOS transistors is the first example, followed by a study of structural, mechanical, optical and electrical properties of mixtures of indium tin oxide and doped or pure zinc oxide that are used as transparent and conductive layers. The third example is from the deposition of multilayers of ZrC and ZrN with variable thicknesses to obtain hard coatings.