| Thin films of rare-earth nickel boride carbide and skutterudite are grown by the technique of pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Films are deposited onto substrates held at different temperatures in the range 600°C to 850°C. Ablations are also performed with the laser operating at a reduced power setting. In addition, depositions are done with a low pressure argon atmosphere in the deposition chamber. Certain of the films are subjected to post-deposition annealing. The resulting films are characterized by electrical resistance, electron microprobe (EDS and WDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Based on these characterizations, conclusions are drawn regarding the influence of substrate temperature, laser pulse energy, background gas and post-deposition annealing on the films produced here. |
