Abstract
The nanosecond laser ablation technique was used to synthesize thin silicon oxide films of various stoichiometry in vacuum and in a background gas. The local oxidation degree of specimens was evaluated using three different characterization methods. It was found that, on increasing the distance to the laser-plume axis, there occurred a monotonic increase in the oxygen content of the films due to their oxidation inhomogeneity. A profound decrease in ablated mass, related to an increased reverse flow of substance to the target, was found to occur when the pressure of the ambient mixture was increased from 20 to 60 Pa. A comparison was made of the oxidation efficiencies of the films heated at the stage of their synthesis and at the stage of annealing of already formed films. It is shown that the composition of the films could be controlled by varying the inert-gas pressure at the constant pressure of the chemically active component in ambient mixture.
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This work was supported by President of the Russian Federation (Grant No. MK-2404.2019.8; deposition of silicon films), by Government of the Russian Federation, State Registration No. 121031800214-7 (weighing measurements), and by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 19-08-01014; analysis of deposited films).
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Rodionov, A.A., Starinskiy, S.V., Shukhov, Y.G. et al. Deposition of oxide nanostructures by nanosecond laser ablation of silicon in an oxygen-containing background gas. Thermophys. Aeromech. 28, 549–554 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864321040089
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864321040089