Properties of zirconium oxide films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition and pulsed DC substrate bias

Thin films of zirconium dioxide have been deposited onto glass and silicon substrates using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition under a pulsed negative DC bias. The properties of the films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, microhardness testing and optical analysis. It was found that the crystalline phase of the films was strongly influenced by the applied bias and that an amorphous-monoclinic transition occurred on glass substrates for bias values > 250 V. The changes in crystallinity also resulted in an increase in the optical refractive index from 2.09 to 2.22 at 550 nm. A similar behaviour in the variation of the microhardness with applied pulsed DC bias was also observed, where the hardness increased from 11 GPa to 16. 5 GPa.