Strain Effect in Epitaxial VO2 Thin Films Grown on Sapphire Substrates Using SnO2 Buffer Layers
Abstract
Epitaxial VO2/SnO2 thin film heterostructures were deposited on m-cut sapphire substrates via pulsed laser deposition. By adjusting SnO2 (150 nm) growth conditions, we are able to control the interfacial strain between the VO2 film and SnO2 buffer layer such that the semiconductor-to-metal transition temperature (T-C) of VO2 films can be tuned without diminishing the magnitude of the transition. It is shown that in-plane tensile strain and out-of-plane compressive strain of the VO2 film leads to a decrease of T-C. Interestingly, VO2 films on SnO2 buffer layers exhibit a structural phase transition from tetragonal-like VO2 to tetragonal-VO2 during the semiconductor-to-metal transition. These results suggest that the strain generated by SnO2 buffer provides an effective way for tuning the T-C of VO2 films.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 26, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1117484
Entities
People
- Alberto Piqué
- Heungsoo Kim
- Nicholas A. Charipar
- Nicholas S. Bingham
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory