Names of data files correspond to the names of Figures in publication "Comprehensive Study of Raman Optical Response of Typical Substrates for Thin-Film Growth Under 633 nm and 785 nm Laser Excitation"

Files: All other files contain .txt data exported from individual graphs in Figures. Please, use any of the following software to plot the data:

• OriginLab (https://www.originlab.com/)
• Spyder (https://www.spyder-ide.org/)

The research project the data originated from: Raman spectroscopy is one of the most efficient and non-destructive techniques for characterising materials. However, it is challenging to analyse thin films using Raman spectroscopy since the substrates beneath the thin film often obscures its optical response. Here, we evaluate the suitability of fourteen commonly employed single-crystal substrates for Raman spectroscopy of thin films using 633 nm and 785 nm laser excitation systems. We determine the optimal wavenumber ranges for thin-film characterization by identifying the most prominent Raman peaks and their relative intensities for each substrate and across substrates. In addition, we compare the intensity of background signals across substrates, which is essential for establishing their applicability for Raman detection in thin films. The substrates LaAlO3 and Al2O3 have the largest free spectral range for both laser systems, while Al2O3 has the lowest background levels, according to our findings. In contrast, the substrates SrTiO3 and Nb:SrTiO3 have the narrowest free spectral range, while GdScO3, NGO and MgO have the highest background levels, making them unsuitable for optical investigations.

The dataset usage instructions: Names of data files correspond to the names of Figures whose data they contain. Optical data for Figures 1-3, S1-S5 can be processed using any software for data analysis, such as Spyder (https://www.spyder-ide.org/). All optical data was pre-processed with background subtraction and baseline corrected (multi-polynomial fit of degree 2).

The data collection methods:

The optical and electrical data (files for Figures 1-3, S1- S5) were collected using self-made setup as described in: Materials and Methods, section 2 and supplementary data.

The setup was operated with self-written software in Python 3.

All data were collected at the University of Cambridge, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy.