Rapid thermal processing of zirconia thin films produced by the sol-gel method

Abstract

The kinetics of the amorphous‐to‐tetragonal transformation has been studied in sol‐gel‐derived thin films of zirconia deposited on alumina substrates. A rapid‐thermal‐annealing system was used which allowed good control of processing parameters such as temperature and heating rates. The effect of these two parameters on the transformation kinetics was studied and the experimental results were analyzed in terms of conventional nucleation and growth models. The use of two‐step thermal processing cycles shows potential for the modification of the microstructural features of crystallized films and for a reduction in processing times.