| The growth of epitaxial oxide films on semiconductor substrates is an important step towards the realization of hybrid integrated devices such as optical waveguides. The technique of laser ablation has the potential of being one of the best methods of film growth for these complex materials if some of the drawbacks inherent to this method are resolved. The work described in this dissertation reports the development of a novel dual laser ablation technique which has successfully addressed these drawbacks leading to large area, particulate free, high quality films. The development of this technique requires a basic understanding of the generation and propagation of the laser ablated plasma plume. An ion probe study has been carried out to investigate the effects of laser spot size, fluence and the background gas pressure on the plume propagation characteristics. The Dual laser ablation process consists of a combination of excimer laser and CO... |
