Excimer pulsed laser deposition and annealing of YSZ nanometric films on Si substrates

We report experimental results obtained for electrical and structural characteristics of yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on Si substrates at room temperature. Some samples were submitted to thermal treatments in different ambient atmospheres (vacuum, N-2 and O-2) at a moderate temperature. The effects of thermal treatments on the film electrical properties were studied by C-Vand I-V measurements. Structural characteristics were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The as-deposited film was amorphous with an in-depth non-uniform density. The annealed films became polycrystalline with a more uniform density. The sample annealed in O-2 was uniform over all the thickness. Electrical characterisation showed large hysteresis, high leakage current and positive charges trapped in the oxide in the as-deposited film. Post-deposition annealing, especially in O-2 atmosphere, improved considerably the electrical properties of the films. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.