Structural and optical properties of manganese oxide thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition at different substrate temperatures

We report the use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to grow manganese oxide thin films at a fixed low oxygen pressure at different temperatures on silicon (1 0 0) substrates. Structural properties of the thin films were examined using x-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Surface morphology and topography of the films was determined using atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy, while optical properties of the thin films were studied using spectroscopic ellipsometry. It was found that PLD is a convenient technique to deposit different phases of manganese oxide by tuning the deposition temperature. All measured physical properties such as morphology, topography, crystallite size, and optical band gap were clearly dependent on the substrate temperature chosen.