Synthesis of Samarium Oxide Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Uniform Samarium oxide (Sm203) films were grown on 75-mm diameter silicon wafers by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The beam of a KrF excimer laser was used to ablate an Sm2O3 target in an oxygen pressure of 30 mTorr. The crystal structure, surface morphology and optical properties of Sm2O3 films deposited at a temperature range of 25∼680°C were determined by XRD, FE-SEM, and spectra reflectance respectively. Monoclinic structure was the predominant phase for Sm2O3 films deposited at temperatures of 680°C and 400°C. Amorphous or partially crystallized amorphous phase was observed at deposition temperatures of 25°C and 200°C. The Sm2O3 film deposited at 680°C is very dense, while films deposited at lower temperatures have higher porosity. The values of index of refraction, n, and extinction coefficient, k, at λ = 633 nm are 1.867 and 0.0660, respectively, for the 680°C film, and are in a range of 1.5∼1.6 and 0.01∼0.04 respectively for films deposited at lower temperatures.