An experimental study of the main involved parameters in the epitaxial growth of CeO2 buffer layers on nickel tapes

Abstract In order to investigate the optimal conditions for highly oriented and epitaxial buffer layers on nickel based tapes, we have grown several sequences of cerium oxide films by pulsed laser deposition technique. Amongst the usual parameters governing this procedure and connected to obtain high quality buffer layers, three of them have requested a special attention through this work: the target–substrate distance, the buffer layer deposition temperature and the gas atmosphere inside the vacuum chamber during the growing process. Based on the following results, we have found a full crossed relation amongst them, which develops in obtaining textured layers of highly oriented CeO 2 along the (0 0 1) ordered nickel substrate.