IN-SITU REFLECTION HIGH-ENERGY ELECTRON-BOMBARDMENT ANALYSIS OF BIAXIALLY ORIENTED YTTRIA-STABILIZED ZIRCONIA THIN-FILM GROWTH ON AMORPHOUSSUBSTRATES

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films were prepared on thermally oxidized Si-wafer substrates using ion-beam assisted laser deposition (IBALD). Biaxially oriented crystal growth with the [001]-axis parall el to the substrate normal and the [111]-axis parallel to the impingin g argon ion beam was obtained for a range of deposition parameters. Th e film growth and crystallite orientation were observed in situ by ref lection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). During film depositi on, the crystal structure and crystallite orientation were monitored i n the diffraction pattern. The in-plane orientation of the grown film surface was determined quantitatively by evaluating changes in intensi ty of selected spots in diffraction patterns recorded while rotating t he sample around the substrate normal. The obtained intensity distribu tion is a convolution of crystallite orientation and beam broadening e ffects due to crystal strains and crystallite dimensions. The effects of limited crystal size and mosaic spread are evaluated from a recorde d diffraction pattern and deconvoluted from the spot intensity distrib ution over the rotation angle, giving the crystallite in-plane alignme nt. The results are in good agreement with X-ray diffraction. A possib le explanation for the improved in-plane alignment of YBa2Cu3O7-delta films compared with the YSZ buffer layers is given. The grown films we re analysed ex situ by X-ray diffraction for crystal analysis and by a tomic force microscopy for characterization of the surface roughness a nd crystallite size. Film strains were related to argon implantation i nto the films during deposition.