Influence of reactive oxygen gas on sputtered-vanadium oxide films under post-annealing in vacuum

Abstract

Vanadium oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrates by O2 reactive-RF magnetron sputtering from a vanadium (V) target without substrate-heating. The percentages of O2 gas were 10%, 7.5%, 6.0%, 5.0% and 2.5%. The total gas flow rate (O2/Ar) was kept at 25 sccm. As-deposited films were experienced post-annealing process at different temperatures and times. The crystallinity and chemical bonding states of films were examined by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The condition in annealing to active crystallinity depended on an earlier composition of the films. As O2-gas percentages were 10% and 7.5%, after annealing, the as-deposited VxOy films were transformed into crystalline V2O5 films. With decreasing in O2 percentage to 5.0% and 2.5%, the films were transformed into V2O3 and VO films, respectively. The films deposited with 6.0% O2 were crystallized to VO2 with phase B after annealing with 500 °C 15 h. By applying a longer time to 30 h at the high temperature 500 °C in annealing, VO2 films revealed only phase M formation.