Deposition of Y₂O₃ thin films by electrostatic spray assisted vapor deposition method

Y₂O₃ thin films were successfully deposited onto Si (100) substrates by the electrostatic spray assisted vapor deposition (ESAVD) method. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of FE-SEM analysis showed that Y₂O₃ thin films were homogeneous, uniform and nanostructural. AFM analysis indicated that Y₂O₃ thin films had low surface roughness(11 nm). XPS analysis results showed that the deposited thin Y₂O₃ oxide films were close to their stoichiometry. The coalescent strength of the Y₂O₃ film to the Si substrate was 4.2 N. XRD patterns indicated that Y₂O₃ thin films with (111) oriented growth were obtained after heat treatment, whilst the Y₂O₃ thin films were amorphous before heat treatment.