Epitaxial and non-epitaxial platinum, palladium and silver films on yttrium-stabilised zirconia

Platinum, palladium and silver films have been prepared on differently orientated YSZ (yttrium-stabilised zirconia) substrates by PLD (pulsed laser deposition). The deposition temperatures for platinum were 200 °C and 400 °C, whereas palladium and silver were deposited only at 200 °C. The microstructure of the films depends on the particular metal, on the orientation of the substrate and on the deposition temperature. Platinum - deposited at 400 °C - forms single crystalline, epitaxial (111), (311) and (110) orientated as well as (111) orientated polycrystalline films. Platinum, palladium and silver - deposited at 200 °C - always form (111) orientated and polycrystalline films, in some cases also with a fraction of epitaxial grown grains. The formed microstructures were discussed on the basis of interface and surface energy minimization and structure zone models.