P. de Coux, R. Bachelet, C. Gatel, B. Warot-Fonrose, J. Fontcuberta, F. Sánchez
CrystEngComm (Communication) 14, 7851 (2012)
YSZ deposited under ultra-high vacuum on Si(001) grows amorphous while reduces the native SiOx. Above a thickness of 1.0–1.5, nm the whole YSZ film crystallizes from nanometric SiOx-free seeds, with subsequent lateral crystallisation of the rest of a:YSZ. With further YSZ deposition, SiOx is totally reduced with concomitant formation of a new interface between already existing crystalline YSZ film and Si substrate. Defective regions, with lattice parameter intermediate between Si and bulk YSZ, are periodically distributed along the SiOx-free interface.