In a game-changing study, Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists developed a deep learning model — a type of artificial intelligence that mimics human brain function — to analyze high-speed videos of plasma plumes during a process called pulsed laser deposition, or PLD.
The PLD technique uses powerful laser pulses to vaporize a target material, creating a cloud-like stream of atoms and particles — the plasma plume — which then settles onto a target surface to form ultrathin films. This method is crucial for creating advanced materials used in electronics and energy technologies.