Transmission Electron Microscopy and High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Study of YNi2B2C Thin Film on Y2O3-Buffered MgO

An YNi2B2C thin film deposited on an Y2O3-buffered (001) MgO substrate by pulsed laser deposition has been investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution electron microscopy. Cross-sectional TEM analyses show that the YNi2B2C film grows in the [001] direction while the Y2O3 buffer layer exhibits columnar growth in the [001] and [111] directions on the (001) MgO substrate, with the growth in the [001] direction being preferred. The orientation relationships of the YNi2B2C film, Y2O3 buffer layer, and MgO substrate were obtained. The primary orientation relationship YNi2B2C(001)[110] Y2O3(001)[100] MgO(001)[100], evident from X-ray analyses, was able to be confirmed in the TEM study. A hexagonal impurity phase Y0.915Ni4.12B with lattice parameters a = 1.491 nm and c = 0.692 nm was identified at the interface between the Y2O3 buffer layer and the YNi2B2C thin film