Pulsed Laser Deposition: A Flexible Tool for the Synthesis of Advanced Functional Materials

Innovation in materials science and engineering resides in our ability to design new materials with tailored properties (electri cal, optical, magnetic, etc.) by controlling their nanostructure. One of the most powerful means to uniquely arrange matter at such scale is to use plasmas due to their unique ability to provi de simultaneously a variety of particles with different energies such as ions, neutral atoms and radicals. In this presentation, w e will focus on the synthesis of metal insulator transition (MIT) materials using the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) tech nique that allows an excellent control of material stoichiometr y and density as well as of the material nanostructure. Vanadiu m dioxide (VO2) and samarium nickelate (SmNiO3) are particularly interesting MIT materials as their electrical resistivity as well as their infrared and terahertz (THz) reflectivity undergo significant changes across the thermo/photo-induced MIT, at transition temperatures TMIT ≈ 68 °C and 130 °C respectively. In a series of investigations, our group has examined the physics governing the MIT of VO2 and SmNiO3 thin films and has explored new application opportunities including uncooled bolometers, and smart radiator devices for space applications.