Processing dependence of biaxial texture in yttria-stabilized zirconia by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Biaxially textured yttria (8 mol%)-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films were deposited on randomly oriented Hastelloy C and Stainless Steel 304 at room temperature as a buffer layer for subsequent deposition of oriented YBa2Cu3Ox films, The 0.16-1.3 mu m thick YSZ films were deposited by e-beam evaporation at rates of 1.2-3.2 Angstrom/sec. Biaxially textured films were produced with an Ar/O-2 ion beam directed at the substrate during film growth. X-ray diffraction was used to study in-plane and out of-plane orientation as a function of ion bombardment angle, film thickness, ion to-atom flux ratio, and substrate material. In-plane and out-of-plane average-misorientation angles on these YSZ films that were deposited by ion-beam-assisted deposition were as low as 17 and 5.4 degrees, respectively, on as-received substrates.