Synthesis of phase pure vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin film by reactive pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of phase pure VO2 (M1 phase) are deposited on thermally grown oxide (Si/SiO2) substrate by reactive pulsed laser deposition of vanadium metal target. The influence of deposition parameters is studied by varying oxygen partial pressure while keeping other parameters constant. A thin film obtained at 50 mTorr is found to be phase pure by XRD and Raman spectral studies. SEM and AFM studies show smooth morphology with a surface roughness of 3-5 nm. The quality of the thin film was further established by characterizing the 68 degrees C (T-SMT) transition by 2-3 orders of jump in resistance and a 60% change in reflectivity with minimum hysteresis. This single step process of deposition would be a suitable method for fabricating devices for smart window and metamaterial applications. Published by AIP Publishing.