Control of the oxygen deficiency and work function of SrFeO3-δ thin films by excimer laser-assisted metal organic decomposition

The fabrication of crystalline oxide films using excimer laser-assisted metal organic decomposition (ELAMOD) involves deploying pulsed UV laser irradiation to achieve photochemical and photothermal reactions of metal-organic materials or amorphous oxide materials. In this study, ELAMOD was used to fabricate SrFeO3-δ thin films under various atmospheric conditions in order to clarify the effect of such conditions on ELAMOD-produced films. Analysis of lattice constants and work functions of the films revealed that performing ELAMOD in air and vacuum induced reduction while performing it in O2 induced oxidization. The extents of reduction and oxidization were enhanced by increasing the laser fluence. Such an ability to control reduction and oxidization when performing ELAMOD should be helpful for the fabrication of functional oxide films.