A versatile method for thin film deposition and synthesis of nanostructures and nanoparticles.
PLD is an innovative method for depositing complex materials
Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD) is a widely used thin film deposition technology. The pulsed laser quickly evaporates the target material to produce a thin film with the same composition as the target material. The unique feature of PLD is that the energy source (pulse laser) is located outside the vacuum chamber. In this way, the dynamic range of working pressure is very wide during material synthesis, reaching 10-10 Torr ~ 100 Torr. By controlling the coating pressure and temperature, a series of nanostructures and nanoparticles with unique functions can be synthesized. In addition, PLD is a "digital" technology that performs process control at the nanoscale (A°/pulse).
Neocera Pioneer Series PLD System - Effective Design Based on Excellent Experience
Neocera has conducted extensive research using PLD to establish critical parameters for achieving optimal film quality, particularly for depositing complex oxide films. These considerations have been applied to the design of the Pioneer system.
Many complex oxide films benefit from cooling at relatively high oxygen pressures (>100 Torr). All Pioneer systems are designed to operate at pressures ranging from their rated initial pressure to atmospheric pressure. This also benefits the generation of nanoparticles.
The incident angle of the laser beam of the Pioneer PLD system is 45°, which maintains the maximum uniformity of the laser density on the target while avoiding the use of complex and expensive optical components. Shallow incident angles can elongate the laser spot on the target, resulting in a loss of density uniformity.
To avoid the use of expensive oxygen-compatible vacuum pump fluids and eliminate concerns about oil backflow affecting film quality, all Pioneer systems come standard with an oil-free pump system.
All systems are available as complete PLD labs, including 248nm laser, laser gas cabinet, laser and optics bench, and optics package.
Our research has shown that the target-substrate distance is a critical parameter for achieving the best film quality. Pioneer systems use variable target-substrate distances to provide maximum control over deposition conditions.
Pioneer240
Pioneer180
Pioneer120
Pioneer80
Maximum wafer diameter
4”
2”
1”
0.5”
Maximum number of targets
6 1” or 3 2”
6 1” or 3 2”
6 1” or 3 2”
4 1"
Pressure(Torr)
<10-8
<10-6
<10-6
<10-6
Vacuum chamber diameter
twenty four"
18”
12”
8”
Substrate heater
4", swivel
3", swivel
2", Flat Plate
1", flat plate
Maximum sample temperature
850°C
850°C
950°C
950°C
Turbo pump pumping speed
(liters/sec)
800
260
260
70
Computer Control
include
include
include
include
Substrate rotation
include
include
-
-
Substrate vacuum lock chamber
include
Options
Options
-
Scanning laser beam system
include
Options
-
-
Target vacuum lock chamber
include
-
-
-
IBAD Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
Options
Options
Options
-
CCS Continuous Composition Extension
Options
Options
-
-
High Pressure RHEED
Options
-
-
-
520 liters/sec pump
a/n
Options
-
-
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
Ion-assisted deposition has become an important technique for depositing biaxially structured thin films on randomly oriented or amorphous substrates.
High performance IBAD (ion assisted deposition) system
Ion-assisted deposition has become an important technique for depositing biaxially structured thin films on randomly oriented or amorphous substrates. Neocera has developed ion-assisted PLD systems that combine the advantages of PLD for depositing complex materials with IBAD capabilities. Backed by unrivalled technical expertise Neocera ion-assisted PLD systems are backed by significant application experience. System development combines Neocera's engineering and process experience to ensure maximum usability and process performance.
Using ion-assisted PLD, Neocera developed biaxially structured YBCO films on flexible polycrystalline Yttria-stabilized YSZ substrates with the following properties:
l X-ray F-scan full width at half maximum of ~7°
l Transition temperature Tc is 88-89K, and transition width DTc is about 0.5 K
l 77 K zero field strength, critical current density Jc range; 1.5-2x106 A/cm2
At 77 K, magnetic penetration depth: 284nm
l 77K, 10G, surface resistance Rs equals 700mW
Continuous Composition Spread
A novel continuous composition expansion (CCS) approach for combinatorial materials synthesis based on pulsed laser deposition.
Economical Combinatorial Synthesis
Combinatorial synthesis is one of the most exciting recent advances in materials science. The ability to produce multiple different material compositions in a single deposition experiment greatly increases the speed with which the optimal composition with the desired material properties can be obtained. However, the high cost of existing combinatorial synthesis systems makes them impractical for most research budgets.
Backed by Neocera PLD experience
Neoceora has applied our extensive experience in PLD and developing reliable and economical equipment to invent the PLD-CCS (Pulsed Laser Deposition - Continuous Composition Scaling) system. PLD-CCS benefits from the convenience of multi-layer thin film deposition and the inherent characteristics of the PLD process that can change the composition of binary, pseudo-binary, or ternary systems on the substrate.
Combinatorial synthesis under conventional deposition conditions
PLD-CCS can change materials in a continuous manner, rather than in an intermittent manner, without the need for masks. This allows each component to be deposited quickly and continuously at a rate of less than a monolayer in each cycle, with the result being essentially equivalent to co-deposition. In fact, this method does not require annealing after deposition to promote internal diffusion or crystallization, and is useful for studies where growth temperature is a critical parameter or where the deposited material or substrate is not suitable for high-temperature annealing.
Laser MBE (Laser Molecular Beam Epitaxy)
An ideal method for nanoscale thin film synthesis, combining PLD and in-situ high-pressure RHEED,
Provides precise control over thin film growth at the single-molecule level.
Laser MBE is an ideal tool for nanotechnology research
Laser MBE is a commonly adopted term that defines the combined application of PLD under high vacuum and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) for in-line process monitoring. This method provides users with single molecule level control of thin film growth similar to MBE. As more PLD research is driven by nanotechnology, laser MBE becomes more beneficial to users.
Proper design is an important factor in the successful use of RHEED and PLD
RHEED is usually used in a high vacuum (<10-6 torr) environment. However, because PLD uses higher pressures in some special cases, differential pumping is necessary to maintain the operating pressure of the RHEED gun while maintaining the PLD process pressure of 500 mTorr. At the same time, it is critical to design a complete system to eliminate the influence of magnetic fields on the electron beam.
Neocera's laser MBE systems provide the monolayer control that users require at pressures up to 500mTorr.
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