Ta2O5 thin-films deposited by off-axis and on-axis pulsed laser deposition techniques

The crystalline properties of Ta2O5 thin films deposited by an off-axis aperture-installation-type pulsed laser deposition technique are investigated and the results are compared with the results for films deposited by the conventional on-axis technique. No significant difference in the substrate temperature dependence is seen between films deposited on-axis or off-axis at a pulse repetition frequency of 30 Hz. When the repetition frequency is lowered, the degree of c-axis orientation is increased in both films. This tendency is more pronounced in the off-axis films. Therefore it is found that the off-axis aperture-installation-type pulsed laser deposition technique is effective not only for decreasing the density of droplets, but also for obtaining more highly c-axis-oriented crystalline films. (orig.)