The Use of Apertures to Create Discrete Combinatorial Libraries Using Pulsed Laser Deposition

Published

May 18, 2007

Author(s)

Nabil Bassim, Peter K. Schenck, Eugene Donev, Edwin J. Heilweil, Eric J. Cockayne, Martin L. Green, Leonard Feldman

Abstract

In Pulsed-Laser Deposition (PLD), there are many processing parameters that influence film properties which may be studied such as substrate-target distance, background reactive gas pressure, laser energy, substrate temperature and composition in multi-component systems. By introducing a 12.7 mm diameter circular aperture in front of a 76.2 mm silicon wafer and rotating the substrate while changing conditions during the PLD process, these parameters may be studied in a combinatorial fashion, discretely as a function of processing conditions. We demonstrate the use of the aperture technique to systematically study the effects of oxygen partial pressure on the film stoichiometry and growth rate of VOx, using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). In another example, we discuss the effect of growth temperature on TiO2 films characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform far-Infrared (Terahertz) absorption spectroscopy. We demonstrate that we have considerable combinatorial control of other processing variables besides composition in our combi-PLD system. These may be used to systematically study film growth and properties.

Citation

Applied Surface Science

Volume

254

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

apertures, combinatorial materials, oxygen stoichiometry, pulsed laser deposition, thin films

Citation

Bassim, N. , Schenck, P. , Donev, E. , Heilweil, E. , Cockayne, E. , Green, M. and Feldman, L. (2007), The Use of Apertures to Create Discrete Combinatorial Libraries Using Pulsed Laser Deposition, Applied Surface Science, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=851029 (Accessed October 18, 2025)