Yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings produced using combustion chemical vapor deposition

A liquid fuel combustion chemical vapor deposition technique had been developed for oxide thin film deposition. Yttria-stabilized zirconia thin films had been processed using this technique operated in open air. Combustion flame had been modulated for high-quality film deposition by studying the effect of the ratio of the oxidant gas to the liquid fuel. Another key processing parameter, i.e. the substrate temperature, had been investigated. The as-grown films were characterized with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The phase and crystallinity of the films were found strongly dependent on the experimental variables. Moderate increase of the ratio of the oxidant gas to the liquid fuel can accelerate the decomposition of the fuel and improve the quality of the deposited film. Two film growth kinetic modes were found with the transition temperature at approximately 1343 K. The microstructural zone transition temperature from zone 1 to zone 2 was found to be at approximately 1473 K. The processing variables were optimized with regard to both the phase quality and the growth rate.