Electrical Characteristics and Zirconia Film Preparation by a Zirconium-Oxygen Plasma using a Positively Biased Electrode

Abstract

Plasma-based ion implantation and deposition (PBII&D) is a promising technique used to modify the surface of a three-dimensional substrate, where metallic plasma sources have been used to form alloys and compounds. In this research, a positively biased electrode was placed near a metallic plasma source to mix the metallic species with the gaseous species. This method allows the metallic species to be dispersed in a large volume. The gaseous plasma was triggered by the metallic plasma, which was generated by disconnecting a pin electrode from a zirconium plate as a cathode. Zirconia film preparation was done using a pulsed argon/oxygen plasma with a pulsed dc zirconium plasma. The voltage–current characteristics in the mixed plasma were investigated as a function of the positive bias voltage and gas pressure, and characteristics of the extracted ion current and ion density were studied. It is estimated that the ion density is on the order of 1016 m−3 at a positive bias voltage of 200 V and a gas pressure ranging from 1.9 to 2.5 Pa. Zirconia film is prepared by a reactive deposition of zirconium with oxygen. As a result, a zirconium oxide film with the atomic ratio of oxygen to zirconium of 2–2.1 is found to be prepared for a variety of positive bias voltages and pulsed negative bias voltages.