Abstract
Fabrication and crystallization characteristics of yttria($T_2O_3$) stabilized zirconia(YSZ) thin film by sol-gel process were studied. YSZ sol was synthesized with zirconium n-propoxide($Zr(OC_3H_7)_4)$) and yttrium nitrate pentahydrate ($Y(NO_3)_3.5H_2O$). YSZ film was prepared by depositing the polymeric sol on porous $Al_2O_3$ substrate by spin-coating, and the film characteristics were investigated by FRIR, TG-DTA, XRD, DSC, optical microscopy and SEM. The film topology was uniform and cracks were not found. It was found that the annealing temperature and the concentration of stabilizer affect the crystallization of YSZ film. The YSZ film began to crystallize from amorphous to tetragonal phase at 40$0^{\circ}C$, and it was not converted to cubic structure until $1100^{\circ}C$. It seemed that the grains were formed over $700^{\circ}C$and the average grain size was obtained about 0.2$\mu\textrm{m}$.
