High temperature coefficient of resistance of low-temperature-grown VO2 films on TiO2-buffered SiO2/Si (100) substrates

Abstract

The introduction of a TiO2 buffer layer significantly improved the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), a measure of the sharpness of the metal–insulator transition, for films of VO2 grown on SiO2/Si (100) substrates at growth temperatures below 670 K. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements revealed that polycrystalline VO2 films were formed on the TiO2-buffered substrates at low temperatures below 600 K, whereas amorphous films were formed at these temperatures on SiO2/Si (100) substrates without a TiO2 buffer layer. Electron microscopy studies confirmed that the TiO2 buffer layer enhanced the grain growth of VO2 films at low growth temperatures. The VO2 films grown at 600 K on TiO2-buffered substrates showed a large TCR of more than 80%/K as a result of the improved crystallinity and grain size of the VO2 films. Our results provide an effective approach toward the integration of VO2-based devices onto Si platforms at process temperatures below 670 K.