Low-temperature growth of Y2O3 thin films by ultraviolet-assisted pulsed laser deposition

Thin Y2O3 films have been grown on (100) Si using an in-situ ultraviolet-assisted pulsed laser deposition (UVPLD) technique. When compared to conventional pulsed laser deposited (PLD) films under similar conditions, the UVPLD-grown films exhibited better structural and optical properties, especially those grown at lower substrate temperatures, from 200 degrees C to 400 degrees C. X-ray diffraction investigations showed that the films grown were highly crystalline and textured. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry investigations, UVPLD-grown Y2O3 films have a better overall stoichiometry and contain less physisorbed oxygen than the conventional PLD-grown films. The refractive index values, measured in the range 300-750 nm by using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, were similar to those of a reference Y2O3 film.