Residual stress study of nanostructured zirconia films obtained by MOCVD and by sol–gel routes

The residual stress study of nanostructured zirconia films obtained by two deposition techniques, MOCVD and sol–gel used in this work, shows the advantages and limitations of each process. The MOCVD technique allows obtaining dense and thick zirconia films. Sol–gel deposition led to thinner zirconia films compared to those obtained by MOCVD, but the possible control of deposition parameters including multi-layers deposition is an advantage for the development of dense and homogeneous zirconia films. The crystalline structures and residual stress levels of nanostructured films have been studied by X-ray diffraction method; the film morphology has been analyzed by FEG-MEB.