The study of pulsed laser deposited films from a pressed, sintered, W–C mixture at two different fluences

The reactive aspect of pulsed laser induced vaporization has been explored via synthesis of tungsten carbide films from an unreacted sintered mixture of the W–C system. Using low-angle x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it is shown that stoichiometry and the extent of chemical compound formation in the deposited films depend upon the laser fluence. Two cases with energy density 20 J/cm2 and 40 J/cm2 are discussed and compared. An attempt has been made to illustrate the mechanism behind the reactive aspect of the deposition.