Effects of oxygen partial pressure and laser energy density on the heteroepitaxial growth of YSZ on Si (001) by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was deposited on hydrogen-terminated Si (001) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) under various oxygen pressures (about 2-2 × 10-4 Pa) and laser energy densities (0.87-1.09 J/cm2) at 800°C. The effects of O2 pressure and laser energy density were found to be important to the formation of an epitaxial oxide thin film. With decreasing laser energy density, the O2 pressure required to grow epitaxial YSZ films was shifted toward the lower region. Therefore, epitaxial growth of YSZ films could be achieved at a very low pressure of 2 × 10-4 Pa compared with the known O2 pressure region used for epitaxial growth. The roughness of surfaces was very low, within 0.18-0.26 nm.