Toward reproducible metal-insulator transition characteristics in V2O3 thin films sputter-deposited on glass

Abstract

Vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3) exhibits remarkable property changes through its metal-insulator transition near 150 K and is a very promising candidate for device applications. Thin V2O3 films were deposited on SiO2 glass by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. While resistivity changes over four orders of magnitude were demonstrated, films deposited under nominally identical conditions exhibited significant differences in electrical characteristics, which would hinder reproducibility under deposition techniques appropriate for industrial scale production with standard control features. These differences were attributed to small deviations from exact stoichiometry. A post-deposition thermal treatment consistent with equilibrium temperature and oxygen pressure conditions for V2O3 applied to the samples succeeded in nearly equalizing their characteristics within a relatively short time and without negatively impacting the glass substrate or film continuity. Analysis of film structure, morphology, and resistivity measured from room temperature through the metal-insulator transitions, both before and after the thermal process, revealed information about the interplay between non-stoichiometry, residual stress, and electrical characteristics of the films. The approach employed can lead to reproducible results for V2O3 films and is applicable to similar materials which exhibit metal-insulator transitions.