Platinum Ion Implantation Into Single Crystal Zirconia With A Carbon Sacrificial Layer on The Surface

Single crystal samples of (100) oriented yttria stabilized cubic zirconia are implanted with Pt ions to doses up to 6x1017 /cm2. Our previous studies showed that the retained Pt dose was too small due to the sputter limit. To overcome this problem, a C film was deposited on the surface of some samples before implantation. The implanted samples were annealed isothermally in air at 400°-1200°C, and were analysed with RBS-C and TEM. The C-layer has been found to be very effective for protecting the sample surface from sputtering and thus increasing the Pt concentration by a factor of two, up to 33 mol.% Pt. The as-implanted Pt was non-substitutional. After annealing at 1200°C for 1 h, Pt diffused to large depths, and showed a substitutional fraction of about 23%. The detailed TEM measurements on the microstructure and damage of the implanted layer show that after annealing at these temperatures the recovery of ion damage is incomplete. Pt atoms undergo substantial migration concurrently. The Pt at first dissolves in the matrix (though not substitutionally), diffuses and precipitates again at high temperature.