Thermal Laser Epitaxy for Oxide Heterostructures

For the scientific development of quantum-matter heterostructures and for a range of potential applications, the growth of high-purity heterostructures is required. We have developed a new thin-film deposition technique that is especially suited to the growth of an extremely wide range of heterostructures with atomic precision. Thermal laser epitaxy (TLE) uses chemical elements as sources which are evaporated with continuous-wave lasers [1]. The lasers’ virtually arbitrary power density allows for the evaporation of almost all elements of the periodic table in the same setup[2].

 

We will present the state of the art of TLE for the growth of oxides. A wide range of elements has been grown in oxygen environments up to pressures as high as 10^-2 mbar, yielding films of binary oxides [4,5]. Furthermore, extremely clean oxide surfaces can be prepared with the use of a CO₂ laser substrate heater that enables temperatures up to 2000 °C [5]. We will discuss the resulting surface reconstructions and the subsequent film growth on those surfaces.

 

References

[1] W. Braun, J. Mannhart, AIP Adv. 9 (2019) 085310

[2] T.J. Smart, et al., J. Laser Appl. 33 (2021) 022008

[3] D.-Y. Kim, J. Mannhart, W. Braun, Appl. Phys. Lett. Mater. 9 (2021) 081105

[4] D.-Y. Kim, J. Mannhart, W. Braun, J. Vac. Sci. Tech. A 39 (2021) 053406

[5] W. Braun, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. Mater. 8 (2020) 071112