9512308 Cadieu A pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system and ancillary thin film characterization equipment will be acquired and used to fabricate and examine magnetic and optical films. Three research programs will make use of the PLD facility. One program aims at developing metallic magnetic films that exhibit highly specific textures and optimal magnetic properties. As part of this effort, textured films of rare earth transition metals and of ferrites will be fabricated and their magnetic properties will be examined. A second program will utilize the PLD facility to explore new approaches to photoinduced gradient index formation, tailoring sol-gel glasses, and photodeposition in microporous glass. A third program evolves around the structural and compositional characterization of the PLD-grown films. In this effort, the defect and stacking fault densities of the laser deposited magnetic films will be examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their stoichiometry will be probed by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). %%% Pulsed laser ablation allows for the deposition of a wide range of dissimilar materials with exceptional intrinsic properties. The pulsed layer deposition system will be utilized to synthesize new types of super magnet systems that are important for microwave device development. It will also be utilized for photodeposition and photopatterning processing with applications in optical waveguides and diffractive optics. The instrumentation will benefit researchers from several departments in a predominantly undergraduate institution. ***
