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Combinatorial Material Science and Strain Engineering Enabled by Pulsed Laser Deposition Using Radially Segmented Targets
journal contribution
posted on 2018-10-11, 00:00 authored by Max Kneiß, Philipp Storm, Gabriele Benndorf, Marius Grundmann, Holger von WencksternVertical composition
gradients of ternary alloy thin films find
applications in numerous device structures. Up to now such gradients
along the growth direction have not been realized by standard pulsed
laser deposition (PLD) systems. In this study, we propose an approach
based on a single elliptically segmented PLD target suited for the
epitaxial growth of vertically graded layers. The composition of the
thin films can be varied by a simple adjustment of the position of
the PLD laser spot on the target surface. We demonstrate this principle
for the MgxZn1–xO alloy system. Such vertically composition-graded MgxZn1–xO thin films
exhibit high optical quality and a well-defined Mg-content for each
layer. No signs of interdiffusion of Mg-atoms between the layers have
been found. Further, this method is capable to deposit homogeneous
thin films with any desired, well-defined cation composition having
the same high optical and structural quality as films grown by conventional
PLD.