Electrical conductivity of YSZ film grown by pulsed laser deposition

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films, 0.6–1.5 μm, were deposited on Pt and sapphire substrates by a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Their structural and transport properties have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction and electrical conductivity measurements. The in-plane and the perpendicular-to-plane conductivities (hereafter, “across-plane” conductivity) of thin films were measured and compared to that of bulk sample. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy results showed that the films on Pt and sapphire were polycrystalline cubic with a columnar structure. Both the across-plane and the in-plane conductivities of YSZ thin film were close to that of bulk specimens. Thus no conductivity enhancement was found for the present nano-crystalline YSZ films (grain or column size, 60∼100 nm).