Table of Contents 
Laser Chemistry
Volume 2010, Article ID 140976, 27 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/140976
Research Article

Oxide Thin Film Heterostructures on Large Area, with Flexible Doping, Low Dislocation Density, and Abrupt Interfaces: Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Michael Lorenz, Holger Hochmuth, Christoph Grüner, Helena Hilmer, Alexander Lajn, Daniel Spemann, Matthias Brandt, Jan Zippel, Rüdiger Schmidt-Grund, Holger von Wenckstern, and Marius Grundmann

Institut für Experimentelle Physik II, Fakultät für Physik und Geowissenschaften, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraβe 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Received 13 August 2010; Accepted 21 September 2010

Academic Editor: Alciviadis-Constantinos Cefalas

Copyright © 2010 Michael Lorenz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Advanced Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) processes allow the growth of oxide thin film heterostructures on large area substrates up to 4-inch diameter, with flexible and controlled doping, low dislocation density, and abrupt interfaces. These PLD processes are discussed and their capabilities demonstrated using selected results of structural, electrical, and optical characterization of superconducting (YBa2Cu3O7−δ), semiconducting (ZnO-based), and ferroelectric (BaTiO3-based) and dielectric (wide-gap oxide) thin films and multilayers. Regarding the homogeneity on large area of structure and electrical properties, flexibility of doping, and state-of-the-art electronic and optical performance, the comparably simple PLD processes are now advantageous or at least fully competitive to Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition or Molecular Beam Epitaxy. In particular, the high flexibility connected with high film quality makes PLD a more and more widespread growth technique in oxide research.