Thin films deposition in RF generated plasma by reactive pulsed laser ablation

Metal oxide thin films have been deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by reactive pulsed laser ablation of metallic target—titanium, tungsten—in the presence of a 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) plasma, 10 Pa static atmosphere of O2, using a doubled frequency Nd:YAG laser. The gaseous species were collected on Si(1 0 0) substrates positioned in front of the target on a heatable holder, up to 1000 K. The deposited thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The comparison between conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the RF plasma-assisted PLD showed the influence of the plasma on the surface roughness, and a better adhesion to the substrates by the plasma-aided thin films.