Effect of Al_2O_3 Buffer Layers on the Properties of Sputtered VO_2 Thin Films

VO_2 thin films were grown on silicon substrates using Al_2O_3 thin films as the buffer layers. Compared with direct deposition on silicon, VO_2 thin films deposited on Al_2O_3 buffer layers experience a significant improvement in their microstructures and physical properties. By optimizing the growth conditions, the resistance of VO_2 thin films can change by four orders of magnitude with a reduced thermal hysteresis of 4 °C at the phase transition temperature. The electrically driven phase transformation was measured in Pt/Si/Al_2O_3/VO_2/Au heterostructures. The introduction of a buffer layer reduces the leakage current and Joule heating during electrically driven phase transitions. The C–V measurement result indicates that the phase transformation of VO_2 thin films can be induced by an electrical field.

Effect of the Structure and Valence State on the Properties of VO_2 Thin Films

VO 2 thin films with good switching properties were prepared by controlling the annealing time and the annealing temperature in a vacuum system. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the samples were characterized by using XRD、XPS、UV-VIS and electrical measurements. The switching parameters of VO 2 thin film were investigated too. The results indicate that before and after phase transition the resistance of VO 2 thin films changes about three orders of magnitude, the variation of film transmittance of 40 % has been carried out with the absorptivity switching velocity of about 0.260 7 /min at 900 nm . The structural property of samples has been improved but the phase-transition properties have been decreased by increasing the annealing time and annealing temperature. The valence of V ions and the structure of samples have great effect on phase transition properties of VO 2 thin films. Discussion on the effects of annealing time and annealing temperature on the phase-transition temperature and hysteresis width shows that the best reasonable annealing time and annealing temperature can be achieved.

Characteristics of Sb6Te4/VO2 Multilayer Thin Films for Good Stability and Ultrafast Speed Applied in Phase Change Memory

The Sb6 Te4/VO2 multilayer thin films are prepared by magnetron sputtering and the potential application in phase change memory is investigated in detail. Compared with Sb6 Te4, Sb6 Te4/VO2 multilayer composite thin films have higher phase change temperature and crystallization resistance, indicating better thermal stability and less power consumption. Also, Sb6 Te4/VO2 has a broader energy band of 1.58 eV and better data retention （125℃ for 103/）. The crystallization is suppressed by the multilayer interfaces in Sbf Te4/VO2 thin film with a smaller rms surface roughness for Sbf Te4/VO2 than monolayer Sb4Te6. The picosecond laser technology is applied to study the phase change speed. A short crystallization time of 5.21 ns is realized for the Sb6Te4 （2nm）/VO2 （8nm） thin film. The Sb6 Te4/VO2 multilayer thin film is a potential and competitive phase change material for its good thermal stability and fast phase change speed.

Crystallization and inter-diffusional behaviors in the formation of VO2(B) thin film with layered W-doping

To achieve a better material for uncooled infrared (IR) detector, polycrystalline VO2(B) thin films with layered W-doping were fabricated on Si substrates by magnetron sputtering, and the best temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) value reached -4.1%/K. The film synthesis was in a two-step route, first deposition at room temperature and then post-deposition annealing at 450 ℃, to better control the crystallization behavior. Various transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods were employed to investigate three sets of multi-layered films with different deposition time, 10, 20, and 30 min, with especial emphasis on the effect of layered W-doping scheme on the formation of multiple VO2(B) layers. Spatial-resolved energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed the alternative patterns of W-rich layers and W-poor layers, while the thinner films exhibited better crystallinity and texturing. By comparison with an as-deposited film, it was found that the inter-diffusion between the two types of layers was completed in the deposition step while both remained in amorphous structure. A stable W solution of about 8 cat% in VO2(B) layers measured from all these films indicated that the layered doping can tailor the multi-layered microstructure to optimize the performance of VO2(B) films.

Reversible optical control of the metal-insulator transition across the epitaxial heterointerface of a VO_(2)/Nb:TiO_(2) junction

Optical control of exotic properties in strongly correlated electron materials is very attractive owing to their potential applications in optical and electronic devices.Herein,we demonstrate a vertical heterojunction made of a correlated electron oxide thin film VO_(2) and a conductive 0.05 wt% Nb-doped TiO_(2) single crystal,whose metal-insulator transition(MIT)across the nanoscale heterointerface can be efficiently modulated by visible light irradiation.The magnitude of the MIT decreases from ~350 in the dark state to ~7 in the illuminated state,obeying a power law with respect to the light power density.The junction resistance is switched in a reversible and synchronous manner by turning light on and off.The optical tunability of it is also exponentially proportional to the light power density,and a 320-fold on/off ratio is achieved with an irradiance of 65.6 mW cm^(-2) below the MIT temperature.While the VO_(2) thin film is metallic above the MIT temperature,the optical tunability is remarkably weakened,with a one-fold change remaining under light illumination.These results are co-attributed to a net reduction(~15 meV)in the apparent barrier height and the photocarrier-injection-induced metallization of the VO_(2) heterointerface through a photovoltaic effect,which is induced by deep defect level transition upon the visible light irradiance at low temperature.Additionally,the optical tunability is minimal,resulting from the quite weak modulation of the already metallic band structure in the Schottky-type junction above the MIT temperature.This work enables a remotely optical scheme to manipulate the MIT,implying potential uncooled photodetection and photoswitch applications.

Au doping effects on electrical and optical properties of vanadium dioxides

Vanadium dioxides were fabricated on normal glass substrates using reactive radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering. The oxygen flow volume and annealed temperatures as growth parameters are systematically investigated. The electrical and opti- cal properties of VO2 and Au：VO2 thin films with different growth conditions are discussed. The semiconductor-metal phase transition temperature decreased by -10~C for the sample with Au doping compared to the sample without Au doping. How- ever, the optical transmittance of Au：VO2 thin films is much lower than that of bare VO2. These results show that Au doping has a marked effect on the electrical and optical properties.

Simulation and improvement of energy consumption on intelligent glasses in typical cities of China

Five windows such as white glass,Low-E glasses and intelligent glasses are employed for simulation of heating and cooling energy consumptions in five typical cities of China by the software TRNSYS 16.The result shows that it is the most energy saving for the doubled glass when the VO 2 films are deposited on the inside surface of the outer pane.And it is 84.7% of energy saving compared with white glass.But the heating energy consumption is the highest.This is because the transition temperature of real intelligent glass is too high and the solar heat gain coefficient is very small when the glass is in the cold state.On this basis,the property of intelligent glass is improved from the theoretical level.The result shows that it can be the most effective way of energy saving when emissivity is 0,solar transmittance is 100% in the cold state;visible light transmittance is 100%,infrared and ultraviolet light transmission rate is 0 in the hot state.Because of the technology limitation,it is hard to lower the transition temperature to below 20℃.The transition temperature of the film should be lower and the emissivity higher as far as possible.