Morphology and microstructure of (111) crystalline CeO{sub 2} films grown on amorphous SiO{sub 2} substrates by pulsed-laser ablation

Conference · Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:37751

Zhu, S; Lowndes, D H; Budai, J D; Thundat, T; Norton, D P; Warmack, R J

The surface morphology and microstructure of (111)-oriented CeO{sub 2} thin films, grown on amorphous fused silica (SiO{sub 2} substrates by low-energy-ion-beam assisted pulsed laser ablation, have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). These CeO{sub 2} films are aligned with respect to a single in-plane axis despite being deposited on an amorphous substrate. There is a honeycomb-like growth morphology to the films and island-growth can be observed in thicker films. These islands, inside of which are high density of honeycomb-like clusters, are separated by a void network with {approximately}700 nm width. However, on the surface of the thinnest film ({approximately}3 nm), only very small clusters (diameter <60 nm) appear, and the boundaries of the void network are undefined, which implies that the film is just beginning to coalesce into clusters (grains). The combined AFM images and XRD pattern suggest these clusters probably are the initial seeds for the subsequent island growth. Based on these results, the growth mechanism of oriented CeO{sub 2} films on amorphous fused silica substrates is discussed.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 37751
• Report Number(s): CONF-941144-110; ON: DE95008842
• Resource Relation: Conference: Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), Boston, MA (United States), 28 Nov - 9 Dec 1994; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CERIUM OXIDES
THIN FILMS
MICROSTRUCTURE
CRYSTAL GROWTH
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
MICROSCOPY