Initial Stage and Growth Process of Ceria, Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia and Ceria-Zirconia Mixture Thin Films on Si(100) Surfaces

Initial stages and growth processes of ceria ( CeO2), yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) and ceria-zirconia mixture ( Ce·ZrO2) thin films on Si(100) surfaces were studied in conjunction with O2 pressure. We showed that (110)-oriented films of CeO2, YSZ and Ce·ZrO2 grew obeying the arrangements of Si atoms in (2×1) or (1×2) structures on a Si(100) surface under about 5×10-7 Torr O2 gas at about 900° C. On the other hand, under 1×10-5 Torr O2 gas, (111)-oriented CeO2 polycrystal films grew because of formation of Ce2O3 and Si O2 layers at the interface between CeO2 and Si(100). Furthermore, the (100)-epitaxial YSZ and Ce·ZrO2 films grew, reducing the SiO2 layer on Si(100) under 1×10-5 Torr O2 gas. We attempted to explain these processes in terms of standard formation enthalpies of CeO2, Ce2O3, ZrO2 and SiO2.