Fabrication and characterization of YSZ microstructures

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is known for its ion-conducting behaviour due to oxygen vacancies in its anion-lattice. To extract these ions from the surface a three-phase-boundary between air, YSZ and platin is desirable. Thus the conductance of an YSZ sample can be reduced by the use of thin films or by an increase of the three-phase boundary-surface. Therefore we investigated the fabrication of freestanding YSZ membranes grown on silicon by anisotropical etching of (100)-Si-wafers as well as the microstructuring of the YSZ-surface. The treatment of the samples was performed with photolithography, KOH-etching and Ar+-ion-beam-etching. The samples were then investigated using AFM, SEM and optical microscopy.