Pulsed laser deposition apparatus for applied research

In this paper, we describe the apparatus for pulsed laser deposition of thin solid films that we have developed in our laboratories of Trento University. Our apparatus is original for many of its adopted technical solutions: (i) the substrate-manipulator mechanism possesses four degrees of freedom, x , y and z translation and a rotation, which permits one to treat samples with non-planar geometry; (ii) an independent target-handling mechanism moves a circular target with calculated speed profiles which permits a uniform ablation of the target surface to be obtained (normally, laser ablation deposition apparatus uses a beam-bending mechanism and a simple target translation at constant velocity); and (iii) the maximum substrate dimensions can be relatively large, about 85 mm × 85 mm, and, in the case of samples with approximately cylindrical symmetry, by exploiting the rotation, 85 mm × 85 mm × 85 mm.