Er0.4Bi1.6O3 thin films in situ crystallized at low temperature onto the Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 bulk electrolytes via Facing-Target Sputtering

For large-area Er0.4Bi1.6O3 (ESB) films on the Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 (GDC) pellets, the 300 nm-thick ESB films were deposited on the 0.2 cm-thick GDC pellets at different temperatures via on-axis sputtering and Facing-Target Sputtering (FTS) for enhancement of the ionic conductivity of the GDC. The ESB films deposited on the GDC pellets via FTS show a good step-coverage and a well-crystallization at a low temperature of 300 °C. The ESB/GDC bilayers with lower activation energy than GDC single layer showed an enhanced ionic conductivity in intermediate-temperature range from 500 to 700 °C. FTS is an attractive method for the ESB film deposition for low-temperature crystallization on the high-roughened GDC pellets.