Single domain epitaxial growth of yttria-stabilized zirconia on Si(1 1 1) substrate

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was epitaxially grown on both Si(0 0 1) and Si(1 1 1) substrates using a RF magnetron sputtering method. While YSZ(0 0 1) was grown on Si(0 0 1) with a cubic on cubic relation, YSZ(1 1 1) film on Si(1 1 1) with six-fold symmetry on surface showed two variants; cubic on cubic (type A) and 180° rotation about surface normal along [1 1 1] (type B). X-ray diffraction method confirmed single domain YSZ with type B structure when samples were prepared with the relatively slow deposition rate and low substrate temperature. Interestingly, in a reverse pairing of substrate and film, Si deposited on YSZ(1 1 1) substrates showed single domain with type A structure.