Abstract
Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of thin films has evolved into a well-recognized technique for a wide range of materials and in a variety of devices. There is great interest in the energy characterization of the ablated plume because this is a key parameter in determining the quality of the deposited film. Spectroscopic techniques, such as optical time-of-flight (TOF,) emission spectroscopy, and laser-induced-fluorescence (LIF) are excellent methods for this purpose since they offer temporal and spatial resolution as well as the capability of distinguishing different species. The effects of laser fluence and background gas pressure on the kinetic energies of the ablated species were found by the optical time-of flight technique and by emission imaging. Furthermore, laser-induced-fluorescence was employed for spectrally resolved imaging. The results provide additional data on the kinetic energy and the distribution of neutral titanium. The axial velocity of neutral titanium was found to be as high as 2 × 104 m/s. The distribution of species within the plume was also determined.
