• PDF / 238,478 Bytes
• 5 Pages / 420.48 x 639 pts Page_size
• 27 Downloads / 310 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT

---

LASER ABLATION DEPOSITION OF GERMANIUM OXIDE THIN FILMS PAUL J. WOLF,* THOMAS M. CHRISTENSEN,** NATHAN G. COIT,** AND RICHARD W. SWINFORD** *F.J. Seiler Research Laboratory (FJSRL/NP), 2354 Vandenberg Drive, Suite 6H79, USAF Academy CO 80840-6272 "**Departmentof Physics, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs CO 80933

ABSTRACT Laser pulsed sputtering of GeO 2 targets in both vacuum and oxygen environments is us;ed to produce germanium oxide thin films. Infrared transmission and Auger electron spectroscopies are employed to infer compositional information on the films. The films grown in vacuum are oxygen deficient and they show a radial variation in the metal to oxide content. In contrast, the films grown in an oxygen atmosphere appear stoichiometric along the entire film.

INTRODUCTION Thin film deposition of a wide variety of materials is of considerable interest from both scientific and technological view points. Among the various methods for producing thin films, pulsed laser sputtering from a solid target is found to present several unique advantages over conventional or other photo-assisted techniques[l]. The unique features of pulsed laser deposition results from the interaction of intense laser radiation with the material surface. Although in principle the process is relatively simple, in practice the synthesis of "good quality" thin films is rather difficult. The properties of the deposited films depend on a very large parameter space which includes the laser flux, target properties, substrate conditions, and the atmospheric environment. Typically, the variables in this parameter space are adjusted until one achieves the desired film properties. Dielectric thin films are particularly important because of their micro- and opto-electronic device applications. Germanium dioxide is one of many dielectric oxides that show promise for fabricating devices such as optical wave guides for integrated optical systems[2]. High quality GeO 2 films have successfully been fabricated using RF sputtering in argon/oxygen environments [3,4]. Recently, Afonso et al. reported the formation of GeOx (I _