Ion-Beam Assist Nano-Texturing of Films

We present an ion-beam based fabrication method for growth of single-crystal-like films that does not utilize epitaxy on single crystal substrates. We use ion-beam assisted texturing to obtain biaxial crystalline alignment in a film. This ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) texturing can be done on arbitrary, but smooth substrates, including flexible polycrystalline metal tapes. With IBAD texturing of MgO and subsequent homoepitaxial growth we have demonstrated an in-plane mosaic spread FWHM as low as 2° and out-of-plane alignment of 1°. The deposition system we use includes reel-to-reel tape transport for a linear transport of substrate materials through the deposition zones. This allows for high-throughput experimentation via a linear combinatorial experimental design.