Excimer laser irradiation of SrRuO epitaxial thin films

Single and multishot excimer laser ablation of SrRuO3 SRO.epitaxial thin films has been studied, aiming at selective removal of SRO electrodes in device applications. High quality SRO epitaxial thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO3 001.substrates; subsequent irradiation was performed by an excimer laser at 248 nm wavelength. Inspection of the ablated surfaces by scanning electron microscopy shows the existence of two well-defined regimes above damage threshold depending on the laser fluence, namely exfoliational and hydrodynamical, which closely correspond to the different mechanisms responsible for material emission. The role of spot size and film thickness with regard to improved edge definition and damage-free substrates has been studied. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved