Pulsed laser deposition of metallic oxide thin films for microelectronic applications

Pulsed laser deposition is a powerful technique to prepare not only superconductor films, but also a great variety of materials with enormous potential in electronic devices. In particular, it is the most suitable technique to grow oxide thin films, allowing an easy and reproducible way to prepare epitaxial films of complex stoichiometries. Recently, important progress has been produced on oxides with a wide range of functional properties: dielectric, conductor, superconductor, ferroelectric, optical, magnetic, and magnetoresistive. The success promises the future development of new microelectronics based on epitaxial oxides. In this paper, we present our results on pulsed laser deposition of dielectrics (yttria-stabilised zirconia, CeO₂, SrTiO₃), conductor (SrRuO₃), ferroelectric (PbZr _xTi_1-xO₃), and magnetoresistive (La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃). Properties of epitaxial single layers and heterostructures are presented, with particular emphasis in the study and control of the crystal structure and the morphology. Films deposited on LaAlO₃(001) and SrTiO ₃(001) substrates are compared with those grown on technological Si(001). The possibilities of oxides in microelectronics are exemplified by Al/PbZr_xTi_1-xO₃/SrRuO₃ and YBa₂Cu₃O₇/SrTiO₃/La_2/3 Sr_1/3MnO₃ heterostructures