ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF VAPOR-DEPOSITED YTTRIA-STABILIZED ZIRCONIA THIN-FILMS

The electrical properties of rf sputter-deposited thin films of ZrO2 d oped with 4 mol % of Y2O3 were examined from 296 to 773 K. The films w ere deposited in an Ar/O-2 (80/20) atmosphere at a pressure of 2 Pa un der various substrate de bias conditions (from -30 to +20 V). A Ruther ford backscattering spectroscopy technique was used to determine the t hickness of the films. Results showed that the deposition rate increas ed with applied negative de bias ranging from 0.0486 nm/s for films pr oduced with +20 V to 0.0972 nm/s for films produced with -30 V. Curren t-time measurements as a function of temperature were made in an elect ric field of 10(3) V/mm. Distinct conduction mechanisms of the 2rO(2)- Y2O3 films were observed from the slope change in Arrhenius plots of d e resistivity at 523 K. At low temperatures, the conduction was due to the migration of free oxygen vacancies. At temperatures above 500 K, the conduction was governed by the dissociation of oxygen vacancies tr apped by the yttrium cations resulting in a higher activation energy f or conduction. The effects of thermal cycling on the electrical behavi or of the thin films were also investigated. (C) 1996 American Institu te of Physics.