UV- and RIR-MAPLE: Fundamentals and applications
Laser beams are powerful tools for diagnostic purposes and growth of thin films. However, the interaction of lasers with organic or biological materials may result in laser-induced photo-chemical and photo-thermal damage to the materials of interest. In order to reduce these effects, the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique was introduced for thin film deposition with the possibility to use two different wavelength ranges to induce target ablation: laser absorption by the matrix (UV-MAPLE) or direct laser excitation of vibrational frequency of the matrix constituent bonds (RIR-MAPLE). In this chapter, the UV-MAPLE physical working principles will be outlined together with its applications and latest results. The RIR-MAPLE working principle and applications to materials of interest for optoelectronics applications will be described and discussed also, with particular attention to the emulsion-based RIR-MAPLE approach relating the film properties with the physical-chemical properties of the emulsion components (primary and secondary solvent, surfactant and matrix).
