Abstract
Epitaxial CeO 2 films were deposited on (0 0 1) yttrium stabilised zirconia single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition in oxygen. As analysed by atomic force microscopy, the films deposited at different temperatures were laid down according to different growth modes, which were correlated with different epitaxial qualities and surface morphologies. As film thickness increases, the growth modes of CeO 2 films develop in different ways at different deposition temperatures. For the optimum epitaxial temperature of 790 °C, CeO 2 films have a layer-by-layer growth mode up to a thickness of 100 nm. In this case, the resultant film has very low roughness and round shaped grains. Epitaxial CeO 2 films grown at 775 and 805 °C (at the two ends of the epitaxial temperature range) are of a lower quality. Their growth modes are initially layer-by-layer (up to a thickness of 10 nm), but then change to island growth mode (by a thickness of 100 nm). Imperfectly c-axis oriented CeO 2 films grown at 750 °C have grains that are approximately rectangular in shape. Its growth mode is typical island growth throughout.
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