Heteroepitaxial Growth of Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia on Silicon (100) by Reactive Sputtering with an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Source

Abstract

Thin films of heteroepitaxial yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) have been deposited by electron cyclotron resonance assisted‐reactive sputtering on Si(100) substrates. The initial stages of film on the bare Si surface were determined to be critically important for the resulting quality of the crystalline film. The benefits of low energy ion bombardment to enhance the growth process were measurable at 650°C, but could not complete with the crystal quality of the material grown at 800°C. A 1050°C postdeposition anneal step using a variety of gas ambients improved crystalline quality of the deposited material. The crystalline quality of the annealed material was independent of the as‐deposited material quality. This can be significant for those attempting to grow heteroepitaxial YSZ films at reduced substrate temperatures. The reason for the improvement in crystalline quality is believed to be the reduction of stresses existing at the interface. The X‐ray diffraction results indicate that the YSZ material film deposited by this technique is currently of the highest quality obtained by any technique to date. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.