Deposition of biaxially aligned yttria stabilized zirconia layers on metal tape by modified magnetron sputtering

Biaxially aligned thin films of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) are frequently used as buffer layers for the development of high current carrying YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x coated conductor. In this research, biaxially aligned YSZ has been deposited on different substrate materials (glass, metal, polymer) using a modified magnetron as a source of both the particles to be deposited and a directed flux of energetic particles normal to the sputter target to induce biaxial alignment. By varying different deposition parameters, an ion assisted deposition process was developed and optimized which resulted in the deposition of in-plane textured layers of YSZ on metal tape with a FWHM of 11°-13°, which was measured with XRD (x-ray diffraction) pole figures. The deposition rate was as high as 43.3 nm/min. It was demonstrated that the developed deposition process is suitable for continuous deposition of biaxially aligned YSZ layers on a moving metal tape