Chalcogenide-based amorphous thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

General principles, advantages and drawbacks of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique for thin films preparation are briefly reviewed. The method is based on vacuum evaporation of material by intensive laser pulses and subsequent deposition of vapours on a substrate. The method is very promising for thin films preparation of complex composition materials. The deposition in non-inert (reactive) atmosphere is possible. Low volatility and refractory materials can be also deposited without decomposition. The application of PLD method for chalcogenide-based amorphous thin films preparation is also described and current state-of-the-art is reviewed. In the last time, the chalcogenide based waveguides, photoinduced effects, rare-earth doped chalcogenide films and different chalcogenide based sensors of complex composition have been prepared by PLD and studied most frequently.