Design and synthesis of novel thin films and structures by reactive crossed-beam laser ablation

As new materials are discovered, there is a strong drive to include them in thin film form as micro- and nanostructures. Established growth techniques may be unable to meet the demands required of these often chemically and crystallographically complex materials. An account is given of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and its novel extension, pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation (PRCLA) as possible alternative methods for the non-thermal synthesis and growth of novel advanced materials. After a brief description of the principles and applications of PLD, it is shown that adding a synchronized pulsed gas source can lend both technical and fundamental advantages. Examples of syntheses of thin films and multilayer structures of novel and technologically relevant materials are then described.