An oxygen-compatible radiant substrate heater for thin film growth at substrate temperatures up to 1050 degrees C

The design and performance of a radiative substrate heater that operates under vacuum in a highly oxidizing environment is described. Using this heater, substrate temperatures exceeding 1050 degrees C are readily achieved. These are the highest temperatures reported for a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) heater that operates in an oxidizing ambient. This heater was designed for the growth of oxide thin films by PLD, but the design concept is suitable for other vacuum deposition methods requiring high substrate temperatures to be achieved in an oxidizing environment. In addition to the high substrate temperatures achievable, the design described enables easy switching between on-axis PLD and off-axis PLD (allowing both sides of the wafer to be coated in the same growth) and allows the target-to-substrate distance to be easily adjusted from outside the chamber. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.