Properties of Hafnium and Aluminium Silicates Coatings Obtained by PLD

We report on the deposition and characterization of hafnium silicate and aluminium silicate thin films for different applications in optics and electronics. Pulsed laser deposition in a controllable oxygen atmosphere was used as a processing technique, with optimized parameters in terms of laser wavelength, laser fluence and oxygen pressure. The thin films were investigated using atomic force microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, UV-VIS spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphological investigations evidenced uniform layers with low roughness (in the order of nanometres). The optical investigations revealed that aluminium silicate layers with low roughness and low absorption in the infrared (IR) range can be obtained at high substrate temperatures (600 degrees C). The behaviour of the silicate thin films with respect to the nanosecond IR laser irradiation revealed that aluminium silicate layers have higher laser-induced damage threshold values in comparison with hafnium silicate.

Automated summary

The deposition and characterization of hafnium silicate and aluminum silicate thin films using pulsed laser deposition technique in a controllable oxygen atmosphere were reported. The optimized parameters resulted in uniform layers with low roughness, and aluminum silicate layers showed better optical performance at high substrate temperatures. Additionally, aluminum silicate layers exhibited higher laser-induced damage threshold values compared to hafnium silicate.