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We report the fabrication of VO2-based two terminal devices with ∼125-nm gaps between the two electrodes, using a simple, cost-effective method employing optical lithography and shadow evaporation. Current-voltage characteristics of the obtained devices show a main abrupt metal-insulator transition (MIT) in the VO2 film with voltage threshold values of several volts, followed by secondary MIT steps due to the nanostructured morphology of the layer. By applying to the two-terminal device a pulsed voltage over the MIT threshold, the measured switching time was as low as 4.5 ns and its value does not significantly change with device temperature, supporting the evidence of an electronically driven MIT.

International audienceMicrowave switching devices based on the semiconductor-metal transition of VO2 thin films were developped on two types of substrates C-plane sapphire and SiO2 / Si, and in both shunt and series configurations. Under thermal activation, the switches achieved up to 30-40 dB average isolation of the radio-frequency rf signal on 500 MHz-35 GHz frequency band with weak insertion losses. These VO2-based switches can be electrically activated with commutation times less than 100 ns, which make them promising candidates for realizing efficient and simple rf switches

Vanadium dioxide is an intensively studied material that undergoes a temperature-induced metal-insulator phase transition accompanied by a large change in electrical resistivity. Electrical switches based on this material show promising properties in terms of speed and broadband operation. The exploration of the failure behavior and reliability of such devices is very important in view of their integration in practical electronic circuits. We performed systematic lifetime investigations of two-terminal switches based on the electrical activation of the metal-insulator transition in VO thin films. The devices were integrated in coplanar microwave waveguides (CPWs) in series configuration. We detected the evolution of a 10 GHz microwave signal transmitted through the CPW, modulated by the activation of the VO switches in both voltage- and current-controlled modes. We demonstrated enhanced lifetime operation of current-controlled VO-based switching (more than 260 million cycles without failure) compared with the voltage-activated mode (breakdown at around 16 million activation cycles). The evolution of the electrical self-oscillations of a VO-based switch induced in the current-operated mode is a subtle indicator of the material properties modification and can be used to monitor its behavior under various external stresses in sensor applications.

Articles you may be interested inEffect of conductive TiN buffer layer on the growth of stoichiometric VO2 films and the out-of-plane insulator-metal transition properties J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 32, 041502 (2014); 10.1116/1.4874844Sharp semiconductor-to-metal transition of VO2 thin films on glass substrates Structural, electrical, and terahertz transmission properties of VO2 thin films grown on c-, r-, and m-plane sapphire substrates Geometric confinement effects on the metal-insulator transition temperature and stress relaxation in VO2 thin films grown on silicon

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