Pulsed Laser Deposition System

The PLD system allows the fabrication of epitaxial films, multilayer heterostructures, superlattices, and amorphous layers from various materials (metals, nonmetals, oxides, ceramics, etc.) on a variety of substrates. Our system is equipped with a multi-target carousel with 6 places for different targets (1-inch in diameter), which makes it possible to produce multi-layered heterostructures (e.g. LSMO/BTO/LSMO, LAO/STO, etc.) in a single growth process.

Our PLD system consists of:

• a loadlock for pre-pumping;
• a main vacuum chamber with a base pressure of ~ 8E-8 Torr and the possibility to use gas atmospheres (oxygen, nitrogen, and argon) during the growth process;
• UV eximer KrF laser 248nm COMPex 110F (pulse frequency 1 – 100 Hz, max power 200mJ);
• RHEED measurement system by STIBE Instruments.

Substrates with a diameter of up to 2 inches can be used for the growth process. One of the sample holders is specifically designed for 10x10 mm substrates. The substrate can be continuously rotated during growth (1 - 30 rpm, 360°).

Growth can be performed in a temperature range from room temperature to 850 °C. The heating and cooling rates are digitally adjustable to within 1 °C/min. The radiative heater is compatible with oxygen up to 1 atm (760 Torr) of O₂. It is mounted on top of the sample holder with the substrate surface facing the ground.

The RHEED technique is also compatible with oxygen up to ~ 1E-3 Torr of O₂. The in-situ RHEED diagnostics enables the study of the crystal structure and growth kinetics of thin films. In addition, monitoring RHEED oscillations operando, i.e., during film growth, enables the control of layer thickness on the unit-cell level.