In-situ optical diagnosis during pulsed laser deposition of high-T/sub c/ superconductor thin films

A new concept to achieve real-time optical diagnosis during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of multilayered high temperature superconductor (HTS) thin films was developed. We have constructed a prototype instrument, which combines ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) emission spectroscopy of the substrate and thin-film structure. The UV/VIS emission spectroscopy offers a convenient tool for monitoring the excited atoms, molecules, and ions in the ablation plume, providing in-situ data related to the metal (e.g. Y:Ba:Cu) composition of the plasma. The FT-IR monitoring provides in-situ data on the growing film, including layer thickness, deposition rate, dielectric constant, substrate temperature, free-carrier concentration, carrier scattering time, and DC conductivity, all related to the film quality.<
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