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Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2023, 12(4): 822-829 https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220723
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 09 March 2023

Thickness dependence of the crystallization and phase transition in ZrO2 thin films

Show Author's Information Yue Guana,  Jing Zhoua,  Haodong Zhongb,  Weipeng Wangb,  Zhengjun Zhangb,  Feng Luoa,  Shuai Ninga( )
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Smart Sensing Interdisciplinary Science Center, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Keywords:
zirconia, crystallization, phase transition, tetragonal (t), monoclinic (m)
Cite this article:
Guan Y, Zhou J, Zhong H, et al. Thickness dependence of the crystallization and phase transition in ZrO2 thin films. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2023, 12(4): 822-829. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220723
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Abstract Full text About this article

Fluorite-structure binary oxides (e.g., HfO2 and ZrO2) have attracted increasing interest for a broad range of applications including thermal barrier coatings, high-k dielectrics, and novel ferroelectrics. A crystalline structure plays a crucial role in determining physical and chemical properties. Structure evolution of ZrO2 thin films, particularly down to the nanometer scale, has not been thoroughly studied. In this work, we carried out systematic annealing analysis on the ZrO2 thin films. Through in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations, a thickness dependence of crystallization and phase transition is observed. Irrespective of the thickness (10–300 nm), the as-prepared amorphous ZrO2 thin films are preferentially crystallized into a tetragonal (t) structure (high-temperature phase), which can be preserved down to room temperature (RT) upon annealing at the corresponding crystallization temperature (TC). When annealing at temperatures higher than TC, the transition from t to monoclinic (m; RT phase) will occur, and the quantity of the transition strongly depends on the film thickness. Our work expands the basic understanding of the phase transition in the ZrO2 thin films, and offers a path to the selective control over the phase structure for novel functionalities.


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About this article

Thickness dependence of the crystallization and phase transition in ZrO2 thin films

Show Author's information Yue Guana, Jing Zhoua, Haodong Zhongb, Weipeng Wangb, Zhengjun Zhangb, Feng Luoa, Shuai Ninga( )
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Smart Sensing Interdisciplinary Science Center, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Abstract

Fluorite-structure binary oxides (e.g., HfO2 and ZrO2) have attracted increasing interest for a broad range of applications including thermal barrier coatings, high-k dielectrics, and novel ferroelectrics. A crystalline structure plays a crucial role in determining physical and chemical properties. Structure evolution of ZrO2 thin films, particularly down to the nanometer scale, has not been thoroughly studied. In this work, we carried out systematic annealing analysis on the ZrO2 thin films. Through in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations, a thickness dependence of crystallization and phase transition is observed. Irrespective of the thickness (10–300 nm), the as-prepared amorphous ZrO2 thin films are preferentially crystallized into a tetragonal (t) structure (high-temperature phase), which can be preserved down to room temperature (RT) upon annealing at the corresponding crystallization temperature (TC). When annealing at temperatures higher than TC, the transition from t to monoclinic (m; RT phase) will occur, and the quantity of the transition strongly depends on the film thickness. Our work expands the basic understanding of the phase transition in the ZrO2 thin films, and offers a path to the selective control over the phase structure for novel functionalities.

Keywords: zirconia, crystallization, phase transition, tetragonal (t), monoclinic (m)

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 02 November 2022
Revised: 16 January 2023
Accepted: 19 January 2023
Published: 09 March 2023
Issue date: April 2023

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2023.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the supports from the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFA1601004), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52102135 and 52272115), State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, Tsinghua University (Grant No. KF202103), and Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Misistry of Education, Tsinghua University (Grant No. ADV22-10).

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