Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a thin film depositionThin-film deposition is any technique for depositing a thin film of material onto a substrate or onto previously deposited layers. "Thin" is a relative term, but most deposition techniques allow layer thickness to be controlled within a few tens of nanometers, and some (molecular beam epitaxy) allow single layers of atoms to be deposited at a time. It is useful in the manufacture ...thin film deposition (specifically a physical vapor depositionVariants of PVD include *Cathodic Arc Deposition *Evaporative deposition *Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition *Pulsed laser deposition *Sputter deposition PVD is used in the manufacture of items including semiconductor devices, aluminized PET film for balloons and snack bags, and coated cutting tools for metalworking. Leading manufacturers of PVD tools include Applied Materials (~78.1% market share in 2004), Novellus Systems (~6.2% market share in 2004), and Oerlikon Balzers coatings (~4.8% ...physical vapor deposition, PVD) technique where a high power pulsed laserIn physics, a laser is a device that emits light through a specific mechanism for which the term laser is an acronym: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. This is a combined quantum-mechanical and thermodynamical process discussed in more detail below. As a light source, a laser can have various properties, depending on the purpose for which it is designed and calibrated. A typical laser emits light in a narrow, low-divergence beam and with ...laser beam is focused inside a vacuumA vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than standard atmospheric pressure. The root of the word vacuum is the Latin adjective vacuus which means "empty," but space can never be perfectly empty. The Latin term in vacuo is used to describe an object as being in what would otherwise be a vacuum. A perfect vacuum ...vacuum chamber to strike a target of the desired composition. Material is then vaporized from the target and deposited as a thin filmThin films are thin material layers ranging from fractions of a nanometre to several micrometres in thickness. Electronic semiconductor devices and optical coatings are the main applications benefiting from thin film construction. Some work is being done with ferromagnetic thin films as well for use as computer memory. Ceramic thin films are also in wide use. The relatively high hardness and inertness of ceramic materials make this type of thin coating of interest for protection of substrate ...thin film on a substrate, such as a silicon wafer facing the target. This process can occur in ultra high vacuumUltra high vacuum (UHV) is the regime characterised by pressures lower than about 10−7 pascal or 100 nanopascals (~10−9 torr). UHV requires the use of special materials, extreme cleanliness, and baking the entire system to remove water and other trace gases. See Vacuum for descriptions of other levels of vacuum. Pressure is ...ultra high vacuum or in the presence of a background gas, such as oxygen which is commonly used when depositing oxides to fully oxygenate the deposited films.

While the basic-setup is simple relative to many other deposition techniques, the physical phenomena of laser-target interaction and film growth are quite complex (see Process below). When the laser pulse is absorbed by the target, energy is first converted to electronic excitation and then into thermal, chemical and mechanical energy resulting in evaporation, ablation, plasmaIn physics and chemistry, a plasma is typically an ionized gas. Plasma is considered to be a distinct state of matter, in contrast to gases because of its unique properties. "Ionized" refers to presence of one or more free electrons which is not bound to an atom or molecule. The free electric charges make the plasma electrically conductive so that it responds strongly to electromagnetic fields. Plasma ...plasma formation and even exfoliation . The ejected species expand into the surrounding vacuum in the form of a plume containing many energetic species including atoms|- ! bgcolor=gray | Properties |- |atoms, moleculesIn chemistry, a molecule is defined as a sufficiently stable electrically neutral group of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by strong chemical bonds. In organic chemistry and biochemistry, the term molecule is used less strictly and also is applied to charged organic molecules and biomolecules. Molecules are distinguished from polyatomic ions in the strict sense. This definition has evolved ...molecules, electronsThe electron is a fundamental subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It is a spin-½ lepton that participates in electromagnetic interactions, and its mass is less than one thousandth of that of the smallest atom. Its electric charge is defined by convention to be negative, with a value of −1 in atomic units. Together with atomic nuclei, electrons make up atoms; their interaction with adjacent nuclei is ...electrons, ionsAn ion is an atom or group of atoms with a net electric charge, having lost (cation) or gained (anion) an electron. Category:Chemical substances Category:Physical chemistry Category:Matter fr:Catégorie:Ion ko:분류:이온 io:Category:Ioni id:Kategori:Ion it:Categoria:Ioni he:קטגוריה:יונים nl:Categorie:Ion ja:Category:イオン pl:Kategoria:Jony fi:Luokka:Ionit tr:Kategori:İyonlar zh:Category:根 ...ions, clusters, particulates and molten globules, before depositing on the typically hot substrate.