Microstructure, hardness, and electrical behavior of Y-doped CaZrO3 films prepared by chemical solution deposition

CaZr_0.9Y_0.1O_3???δ films were fabricated by chemical solution deposition on single-crystalline YSZ (ZrO₂ doped by 10 mol% of Y₂O₃) substrates. Mechanical hardness and morphology of the films were studied using nano-indentation and atomic force microscopy techniques. Grain microstructure of the films has been shown to depend upon thermal treatment duration and film thickness. Thin films with grains a few times greater than the film thickness have been obtained. It has been shown that thickness of films can be evaluated by comparing of the indentation curves for the clean and coated by the film substrates. Mechanical hardness of the film has been found to be sensitive to the film grain microstructure. Electrical behavior of CaZr_0.9Y_0.1O_3???δ films studied by impedance spectroscopy strongly depends on the film microstructure.