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 YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ films. The 0.16-1.3 /spl mu/m thick YSZ films were deposited by e-beam evaporation at rates of 1.2-3.2 /spl Aring//sec. Biaxially textured films were produced with an Ar/O/sub 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/spl deg/, respectively, on as-received substrates.