  Thin films of phase pure pyrochlore Gd2Ti2O7 have been synthesized by RF
magnetron sputtering. The films were prepared from oxide targets in 50%O2/Ar
atmosphere and deposited on 111 YSZ substrates at a temperature of 800C. The
pyrochlore structure was confirmed via grazing angle x-ray diffraction and
selected area electron diffraction (SAED). TEM analysis also showed that the
films were dense and of uniform thickness with surface roughness of
approximately 8nm. The total conductivity measured with AC impedance
spectroscopy was found to be independent of thickness and comparable in
magnitude to that of bulk Gd2Ti2O7. Differences were observed in the Arrhenius
behavior between the bulk and thin film samples and are attributed to varying
levels of background impurities.
