Thin film deposition of Ge33As12Se55 by pulsed laser deposition and thermal evaporation: Comparison of properties

Thin films of Ge33As12Se55 were produced using two deposition techniques, ultra-fast pulsed laser deposition (UFPLD) and thermal evaporation (TE), and their properties have been investigated. The chemical composition of the UFPLD films was virtually identical to the composition of the chalcogenide glass targets, whereas the composition of films deposited by TE was significantly different from the target material. Heating of the substrate with a temperature gradient during deposition produced a gradient in composition in both UFPLD and TE films.