Preparation of biaxially textured CeO2 buffer layers by ion beam-assisted deposition

CeO2 buffer layers were prepared on amorphous quartz glass substrates by the ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) technique at room temperature. The structural properties of the films were thoroughly investigated under different deposition parameters by X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was shown that the in-plane and out-of-plane textures of the CeO2 films were controlled by the deposition parameters. Under optimized experimental conditions, good biaxially textured CeO2 films, with out-of-plane mosaic spreads of 4.1° and in-plane alignment of 16°, could be achieved. The possible mechanism is discussed.