Pulsed Laser Deposited $\alpha$-MoO3 Thin Films for Mid-Infrared Photonic Applications

Alpha-phase molybdenum trioxide (α−MoO3) has recently attracted much attention in the nanophotonics community because of its strong ability to excite surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), exploitable in many applications ranging from the sensing of biomolecules to the realization of polarizers and filters in the mid-infrared. In this paper, we report on fabrication, characterization and optimization of alpha-phase MoO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition. Different process conditions were tested through structural and optical characterization to obtain the most suitable films for mid-infrared photonic applications.