If, in PLD process, we need to deposit a thin film on top of YSZ substrate, does some pretreatment be required? (Similar to the etching of STO substrate in order to obtain a specific terminal)
If you want epitaxial growth, an etching step may be necessary. Unfortunately, I haven't published anything on my process yet, so I'm not allowed to share details about what I do at this point.
Thanks for your answer. Like the STO substrate, your etching process is for obtaining the step (Because the STO has Sr-Ti, Ti-O terminals). But the YSZ substrate doesn't have terminals. If I want epitaxial growth, it seems like a flat surface is enough, right? (I heard maybe anneal at high oxygen is better, but I'm not sure)
Besides standard cleaning methods used for de-greasing the substrate, you can thermally anneal the substrate at a high temperature. YSZ has been very commonly used in the literature, and you can find a lot of information on cleaning such substrates.