PLD Target Manipulator

The UHV Target Manipulator (TM) is designed for Pulsed Laser Deposition. The target manipulator has capacity for up to six 1” targets. 

The TM is equipped with two motorized rotary drives, the first continuously rotates the target around the target centre, while the second has two functions, i) target indexing and ii) target scanning. During deposition, the target rotates continuously and is simultaneously rocked back and forth. The target rotation and back and forth scanning is programmed in such a way that each area of the target receives the same amount of laser pulses (i.e. scan speed is slower at the target edges). This guarantees uniform target erosion. 

The front of the TM has a water-cooled shield that protects the targets during high temperature substrate annealing. 

The target selected for deposition is protected by a rotary shutter. The shutter is electro-pneumatic and can be controlled remotely via the PC or locally from the general user interface. 

To improve the surface quality of the PLD grown layers, a removable (optional) aperture plate may be mounted in front of the target to inhibit the outer regions of the ejected material plume.