Pulsed laser deposition of the yttria-stabilized zirconia films

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films are of considerable interest in optical, electronic and aerospace community and multitude of fabrication techniques are reported in the literature. This paper reports the characteristics of the YSZ films produced by pulsed laser deposition technique using a KrF excimer laser with yttria-stabilized zirconia targets. Morphological characteristics of the YSZ films were investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope. Distinct peak and valley structures with height differences in the range of 10–30 nm were observed in AFM images of the YSZ film surfaces, and measured roughness was 3.5–6.5 nm. A nanoindenter was used to investigate mechanical properties of the films deposited at different chamber pressure. Measured hardness and Young's modulus were about 10–11 GPa and 86–95 GPa respectively. Elemental composition and structural characteristics of the YSZ films were analyzed by electron prove micro-analyzer and X-ray diffraction, respectively.