AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Thin Films Wednesday Sessions
       Session TF-WeM

Paper TF-WeM4
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition of Cubic Zirconia

Wednesday, November 2, 2005, 9:20 am, Room 306

Session: Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Thin Films
Presenter: N.J. Ianno, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Authors: X. Wang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
I. Amirani, University of Nebraska Medical Center
S. Varma, University of Nebraska Medical Center
D.W. Thompson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
F. Namavar, Universoty of Nebraska Medical Center
N.J. Ianno, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Correspondent: Click to Email
Cubic zirconia's excellent wear properties and inertness make it an excellent choice for a range of applications. In this work we will show that ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) of thin film single phase cubic zirconium oxide has been accomplished. Deposition is accomplished by electron beam evaporation from a pure zirconium oxide source in a low pressure oxygen ambient coupled with simultaneous argon ion beam bombardment of the growing film. We will show that by proper control of the deposition parameters the grain size can be varied in a continuous manner from micron scale at the film-substrate interface to the nanometer scale at the film surface. This microstructure results in a film with an extremely high hardness. The deposited films will be characterized by x-ray diffractometry, atomic force microscopy, interferometry, transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry.