Continuous Tuning of Phase Transition Temperature in VO2 Thin Films on c-Cut Sapphire Substrates via Strain Variation.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films with controlled thicknesses are deposited on c-cut sapphire substrates with Al-doped ZnO (AZO) buffer layers by pulsed laser deposition. The surface roughness of AZO buffer layers is varied by controlling oxygen pressure during growth. The strain in the VO2 lattice is found to be dependent on the VO2 thickness and the VO2/AZO interface roughness. The semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) properties of VO2 thin films are characterized and the transition temperature (Tc) is successfully tuned by the VO2 thickness as well as the VO2/AZO interface roughness. It shows that the Tc of VO2 decreases with the decrease of film thickness or VO2/AZO interface roughness. Other SMT properties of the VO2 films are maintained during the Tc tuning. The results suggest that the strain tuning induced by AZO buffer provides an effective approach for tuning Tc of VO2 continuously.