Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5364940 | Applied Surface Science | 2008 | 6 Pages |
The growth of epitaxial Nd:Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) on Y3Al5O12 (YAG) by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition is reported. We have used a Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 800Â nm and pulse length of 130Â fs, operating at a repetition rate of 1Â kHz. The film properties have been studied systematically as a function of the deposition parameters of laser fluence, spot-size, oxygen pressure, target-substrate distance and temperature. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffractometry were used to characterise the surface structure and crystallinity of the films. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that epitaxial growth has occurred. A comparison between the ion velocities produced by nanosecond and femtosecond laser ablation of the GGG target material has been investigated by the Langmuir probe technique. The results indicate a large difference in the plasma characteristics between femtosecond and nanosecond ablation, with ion velocities up to eight times faster observed in the femtosecond case.