Deposition of ITO and AZO thin films by laser ablation at 355 nm in a background atmosphere

The main topic in this thesis is deposition of ITO and AZO thin films by pulsed laser ablation at 355 nm in a background atmosphere.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) films belong to the transparent, semiconducting films, which have many applications in optoelectronic devices.

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a relatively new film deposition technique, which is applicable, especially, for deposition of multi-component oxide materials. However, despite of its success, the deposition process is not understood in detail.

Here, a design of a pulsed laser deposition setup with the opportunity of varying
key deposition parameters is presented. A comprehensive experimental study,
on how the material properties of laser deposited ITO films at 355 nm are influenced by specific experimental parameters in the PLD process, is given. Especially, this study clarifies the connection between the electrical and optical properties of the ITO films and the background atmosphere. Furthermore, a comparison between the material properties of AZO and ITO films grown at similar deposition conditions is presented. Finally, holographic recording in laser deposited AZO and ITO thin films is demonstrated.