Transport and optical properties of epitaxial Nd sub(1.83)Ce sub(0.17)Cu0 sub(4-[delta]) thin films

Electrical transport measurements and transient optical pump-probe experiments have been performed on epitaxial films of the electron doped Nd sub(1.83)Ce sub(0.17)Cu sub(4-[delta])compound for studying the non-equilibrium carrier dynamics in this material. Samples have been grown on (001)-oriented SrTiO sub(3) substrates by dc sputtering in a mixed atmosphere of both Ar and O sub(2). X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscope equipped with a wavelength dispersive spectroscopy detector have been used to characterize the structure and the composition of the thin films. Time-resolved femtosecond pump-and-probe spectroscopy has been also carried out on our samples in the temperature range 4.2K-300 K.