Abstract

VO₂ exhibits a reversible semiconductorto- metal phase transition at a temperature of about 341 K, accompanied by significant changes in its electrical and optical properties. Suggested applications of VO₂ include optical switching and storage. Fabrication of the pure VO2 films and the films composed of a mixture of VO₂ and V₂O₅ by the reactive dc magnetron sputtering technique is reported. The fabricated VO₂ films exhibit a resistivity change up to 10³ during the phase transition. Optical transmittance of these films changes from over 70% to below 1 % at wavelengths longer than 1 pm. Optical transmittance and contrast in the visible and near infrared parts of the spectrum are much lower. V₂O₅ does not exhibit a semiconductor-metal phase transition. Films composed of a mixture of VO₂ and V₂O₅ retain some of the phase switching properties of vanadium dioxide. Moreover, their transmittance and contrast in the near infrared are increased, which makes these films more suitable for switching applications in this part of the spectrum.

© 1992 Optical Society of America