Investigations of growth kinetics of pulsed laser deposition of tin oxide films by isotope tracer technique

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 108; no. 10; pp. 104901 - 104901-7
• Main Authors: Zhen, Yuhua, Ohsawa, Takeo, Adachi, Yutaka, Sakaguchi, Isao, Li, Baoe, Li, Jianyong, Matsuoka, Ryota, Nishimura, Toshiyuki, Matsumoto, Kenji, Haneda, Hajime, Ohashi, Naoki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Institute of Physics 15.11.2010
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3506714

Tin dioxide ( SnO 2 ) is an important semiconductor oxide that exhibits many interesting optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, the physical and chemical deposition of single crystalline films from vapor phase is the most promising way for growing high-quality SnO 2 films. In this paper, the growth kinetics of the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of SnO 2 films has been elucidated by varying the growth conditions and using the isotope tracer technique. We have experimentally demonstrated that relatively low oxygen partial pressures and high growth temperatures cause the re-evaporation of Sn from the surface of a growing film; these conditions are essential to achieve layer-by-layer growth of SnO 2 by PLD. Further, when a TiO 2 substrate with an atomically flat surface was used, the SnO 2 film had an atomically flat surface.