Deposition of Er2O3 thin films on Si(100) by laser ablation

Abstract Er 2 O 3 thin films have been grown on Si(100) substrates by laser ablation. Films have been deposited in an ultra-high vacuum system under different conditions of oxygen pressure and substrate temperature. The crystalline structure, determined by X-ray diffractometry, depends on the deposition parameters. The best films have the simple cubic phase ( a = 10.548 A ) of Er 2 O 3 with hhh preferential orientation, without peaks corresponding to other phases or orientations. Depth composition has been studied by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry, in order to determine the depth homogeneity of the film and the interaction with the substrate.