Influence of the ion-to-atom ratio on the structure of CeO₂ buffer layer by ion beam assisted e-beam evaporation

Using ion-beam assisted e-beam evaporation with the ion beam directed at 55°to the normal of the film plane, (200) oriented CeO₂ films with biaxial texture were deposited on Hastelloy C276 substrates at room temperature. The crystalline quality and in-plane orientation of films was investigated by X-ray diffraction 2θ-scan and Φ-scan, atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was shown that the in-plane and out-of-plane textures of the CeO₂ films were controlled by the deposition parameters. The orientation of the films was studied as a function of ion-to-atom ratio and film thickness. The ion-to-atom ratio was varied by independently adjusting the deposition rate and the ion current density. Under optimum condition, (200) textured CeO₂ films have been successfully grown on Hastelloy C276.