Formation of dielectric and semiconductor thin films by laser-assisted evaporation

Laser-assisted evaporation is an emerging novel thin film deposition technique. It has been successfully applied to a variety of dielectric and semiconductor materials. Characteristics of the evaporation process and of the evaporants, resulting from the interaction of high power radiation with matter, often result in better structural and chemical properties of the films than can be obtained by conventional evaporative techniques. Congruent evaporation, the presence of energetic vapor species, and precise rate control are important advantageous features of this technique. The physics of laser-induced evaporation and plasma formation, some engineering aspects, and properties of dielectric and semiconductor thin films deposited by this technique are discussed in this review.