Abstract

Pulsed excimer laser ablation is a successful technique for thin film deposition of many materials including YBa₂Cu₃O₇.¹⁰³ Laser ablation of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ in an ambient oxygen atmosphere leads to an intense plasma plume normal to the target surface. The plasma plume emissions from ions, neutral atoms, and molecules reflect the spatiotemporal variations of the plasma parameters (i.e., local number densities, temperatures, etc.). The basic mechanism of the initial ablation process and the nature of the subsequent processes, which occur within the plasma plume generated on excimer laser ablation of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ have been used to investigate the dynamics of these process.

© 1994 IEEE