Extension of the temperature range of epitaxial YSZ film growth on Si(100) during magnetron sputtering

The temperature range of epitaxial YSZ film growth on silicon with natural oxide, which is narrow (≈20°C) under conventional magnetron sputtering conditions, is experimentally shown to be extended to 150°C due to a decrease in the lower boundary when the film surface is irradiated by ions from the plasma adjacent to the substrate. The required ion energy is E ≥ 80 eV. Current passage in the plasma-film-substrate circuit is accompanied by oxygen ion transport to the YSZ film and leads to the formation of specific defects in it. Defect-free atomically smooth epitaxial films can be grown over wide temperature and ion-energy ranges during ion irradiation with a zero time-averaged current through the film that is caused by an HF bias voltage applied to an insulated substrate.