Deposition of cerium oxide films on Si (1Â 0Â 0) and glass substrates using the ESAVD method

CeO2 thin films were deposited onto both Si (1 0 0) and glass substrates at a temperature between 400 and 600 °C using electrostatic spray-assisted vapour deposition (ESAVD). A DC voltage, ranging from 5 to 20 kV, was applied between nozzle and substrate. The surface morphology and microstructure of deposited CeO2 films were characterised using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). The preferred orientation of the CeO2 films produced on Si (1 0 0) was revealed using both X-ray diffraction and pole figure measurements. Highly textured CeO2 films were formed epitaxially onto Si (1 0 0) substrates. The orientation relationships between CeO2 film and Si substrate were 001CeO2//001Si and 111CeO2//111Si. However, no distinct alignment was observed in the CeO2 films deposited on glass. The results show that ESAVD is a promising deposition technique to form thin epitaxial CeO2 buffer layers onto Si (1 0 0), which is essential for the subsequent deposition of other functional oxide films, such as high-temperature superconducting oxides.