Effects of substrate rotational speed and phase transition on β-V2O5 for temperature-sensitive thin films

Abstract

The phase stability and reversibility of V2O5 are crucial for smart, contactless optical thermal sensors. Controlling phase characteristics optimizes device performance, particularly by achieving lower phase-transition temperatures with reversible properties. This study examines the effects of substrate rotational speed on the phase content and homogeneity of V2O5 thin films deposited via radiofrequency magnetron sputtering using an inclined magnetron head and an O2-reactive process. Characterized using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Hall effect measurements, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, the films exhibited a mixture of β-monoclinic and β-tetragonal phases. Increasing the substrate rotational speed from 0 to 40 rpm increased the film thickness from 125 to 220 nm but reduced the crystallite size from 16.8 to 7.9 nm for the β-monoclinic phase. The direct bandgap energy decreased from 3.582 to 2.56 eV, and the electron density decreased from 2.92 × 1018 to 5.2 × 1017 cm−3, suggesting suppressed depletion of vanadyl oxygen in the film structure. Optical analysis revealed that the dispersive energy for the β-monoclinic phase increased from 24.7 to 30.3 eV as the rotational speed increased—attributed to stronger polarization due to lattice vibrations. The responses of the annealed and as-deposited films to thermally induced stimuli were investigated. During cooling to 100 °C, the β-tetragonal phase content continued to increase, whereas the β-monoclinic phase content decreased and appeared to revert to levels observed before heating. This result revealed a reversible β-monoclinic phase transformation during cooling, indicating the potential of amorphous β-monoclinic V2O5 films for chromic and temperature-sensitive sensors with repeatable performance.