Structural stability of ZrO2–Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

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Abstract
Thin films of zirconia–alumina were prepared in a variety of compositional ratios and on several different substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering. Thin films were initially amorphous, but they could be crystallized by appropriate heat treatment operations. The conditions for nucleation and the stability of the cubic, tetragonal, and monoclinic phases of ZrO2 were examined over the entire composition range. X-ray diffraction studies suggested that films with Zr:Al atomic ratios up to 0.70:0.30 nucleated first with the zirconia in the cubic phase with subsequent transformation to a tetragonal phase as a function of annealing time. A decrease in volume of the monoclinic phase was observed with increasing alumina content, suggesting that an internal compression results in a reduction of the volume to the point where the monoclinic-to-tetragonal transition is energetically favorable. Freestanding films could be produced by depositing the zirconia–alumina films onto a NaCl substrate and then dissolving the latter in distilled water. High-pressure studies were performed in a diamond anvil to examine the stability of the amorphous and crystallized films.

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