Electrical conductivity (σ) and optical transmittance of high quality VO2 thin films deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering on r-cut sapphire substrates (at 650 °C) have been measured simultaneously as a function of temperature by heating and cooling scans through the phase transition region. The partial concentration of the metallic phase (Xm) has been calculated from the optical transmittance, and the σ(Xm) dependence has been analyzed through an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) during heating and through a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) during cooling. The results have shown to be consistent with the Efros–Shklovskii percolation theory, predicting the formation of two-dimensional infinite conductive cluster (ICC) during IMT and the preservation of three-dimensional ICC during MIT. The critical concentrations (Xc) corresponding to the appearance of ICC at IMT and the disappearance of ICC at MIT were found to be very different, 0.57 and 0.06, respectively. A mathematical model explaining very small Xc at MIT was developed. The dissimilarity of the ICC topology during IMT and MIT is connected with the appearance and disappearance of local mechanical stresses imminent in VO2 phase transitions.
In this work, VO2 thin films were deposited on Si wafers (onto (100) surface) by DC magnetron sputtering under different cathode bias voltages. The effects of substrate biasing on the structural and optical properties were investigated. The results show that the metal–insulator transition (MIT) temperature of VO2 thin films can be increased up to 14 K by applying a cathode bias voltage, compared to deposition conditions without any bias. The decrease in the transition efficiency and increase in the transition temperature are attributed to the enlarged grain size, increased defects, and the residual stress in the VO2 thin films induced by biasing. The optical transmittance measurements for different thickness films indicate an attenuation coefficient of 3.1 × 107 m−1 at 2000 nm or an extinction coefficient of 4.9 in the metal phase. The optical transmittance vs wavelength characteristics point to an indirect bandgap of 0.6 ± 0.5 eV and significant scattering in the bulk and/or at the interface.
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