A NOVEL DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE FOR SWITCHABLE VANADIUM SESQUIOXIDE (V2O3) THIN-FILMS

V2O3 is a phase transition material, which, like other oxides of vanadium, undergoes large changes in optical and electrical properties upon switching from the semiconductor to metal state. The transition in V2O3 occurs at temperatures well below that of oxides in the same family, namely near 150-170 K, making it attractive for a number of low-temperature applications. This material has been deposited by a variety of methods, including chemical vapor transport, rf sputtering of a stoichiometric target, pyrolysis, and heat treatment of a sputtered vanadium oxide film. Thin films of this material have also been prepared by the reduction of predeposited VO2 thin films, requiring the flow of hazardous gases such as hydrogen or carbon monoxide over the sample, which is held at high temperatures in excess of 700-degrees-C. A direct synthesis method for the deposition of high quality V2O3 thin films with low infrared absorption and resistivity change of more than six orders of magnitude is described. Optical, resistivity, and morphological characteristics of this material are discussed.