ArF and KrF excimer laser deposition of yttria-stabilized zirconia on Si(100)

Yittria-stabilized zirconia films have been deposited on Si(100) substrates by ArF (193 nm) and KrF (248 nm) laser ablation. By using KrF radiation, high-quality (h00) epitaxial films are obtained on bare silicon. Epitaxy, although with slightly worse properties, is also obtained on substrates covered with a native oxide. Films have been deposited by ArF laser ablation over a wide range of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure and with variation in substrate surface cleaning, These films are polycrystalline and texture or epitaxy have not been obtained in any case. These results reveal that laser wavelength is a crucial factor in determining film properties. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.