English: Thin films of oxides are deposited with atomic layer precision using pulsed laser deposition. A high-intensity pulsed laser is shooting onto the——rotating white target consisting of Al₂O₃ (alumina). The laser pulse creates a plasma explosion visible as the "purple cloud." The plasma cloud expands towards the square substrate, consisting of SrTiO₃ (strontium titanate), where it deposits thin layers of alumina, "one atomic layer at a time." This results in a conducting interface between the two materials which are otherwise insulating. The substrate is mounted on a heating plate, glowing red from a temperature of 650 ºC,——to improve the crystallinity of the alumina thin film.