CW LASER-ASSISTED OXIDATION OF THIN CD, IN, SN, AND ZN FILMS IN AIR

Thin films of Cd, In, Sn, and Zn are deposited onto glass and irradiated in air by means of a cw-Ar+ laser beam. The films are oxidized. The variations of the diameter of the oxidized zones are measured as a function of time and laser beam power, P. The temperature is measured by an interferometric method. It is shown that oxidation proceeds rapidly at some critical temperature, independent of P over some range of P, in the cases of Cd, In, and Zn. These critical temperatures correspond to the melting temperatures of Cd and In. No relation to any specific temperature of the Zn-O phase diagram is found. Feedback effects are also discussed. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.