Large-area deposition of thin films by UV pulsed laser ablation

The pulsed laser ablation technique is a well-proved tool for deposition of multi-component materials such as ceramic superconductors, electro-optic or ferromagnetic oxides and other compounds of great interest for materials science and technology. As the capabilities of this technique have been demonstrated for film deposition over a small area, study of the uniformity, stoichiometry, and properties of films grown on a relatively large surface is relevant today, especially in view of possible industrial applications of pulsed laser deposition. This paper describes a multi-target laser system which is designed for the deposition of thin films over a surface of up to 50 mm in diameter, and reports results obtained for oxides and high temperature superconductors grown on crystalline substrates.