Grain size effect on the semiconductor-metal phase transition characteristics of magnetron-sputtered $VO2$ thin films Available to Purchase

Single-phase vanadium dioxide $(VO2)$ thin films have been grown on $Si3N4∕Si$ substrates by means of a well-controlled magnetron sputtering process. The deposited $VO2$ films were found to exhibit a semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) at $∼69°C$ with a resistivity change as high as 3.2 decades. A direct and clear-cut correlation is established between the SMT characteristics (both amplitude and abruptness of the transition) of the $VO2$ films and their crystallite size.