Tuning metal-insulator transitions in epitaxial V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films

Abstract

We present a study of the synthesis of epitaxial V${}_2$O${}_3$ films on $c$-plane Al${}_2$O${}_3$ substrates by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering. The results reveal a temperature window, at substantially lower values than previously reported, wherein epitaxial films can be obtained when deposited on [0001] oriented surfaces. The films display a metal-insulator transition with a change in resistance of up to four orders of magnitude, strongly dependent on the O${}_2$ partial pressure during deposition. While the electronic properties of the films show sensitivity to the amount of O${}_2$ present during deposition of the films, their crystallographic structure and surface morphology of atomically flat terraced structures with up to micrometer dimensions are maintained. The transition temperature, as well as the scale of the metal-insulator transition, is correlated to the stoichiometry and local strain in the films controllable by the deposition parameters.

5 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Photoinduced phase transitions in narrow-gap Mott insulators: the case of VO${}_2$
• Collapse of the low temperature insulating state in Cr-doped V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films
• Growth-Induced In-Plane Uniaxial Anisotropy in V${}_2$O${}_3$/Ni Films

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Room temperature Mott metal-insulator transition in V2O3 compounds induced via strain-engineering
• Uncovering the mechanism of the impurity-selective Mott transition in paramagnetic V${}_2$O${}_3$
• Impact of biaxial and uniaxial strain on V${}_2$O${}_3$
• Disentangling structural and electronic properties in V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films: a genuine non-symmetry breaking Mott transition
• Metal to insulator transition at the surface of $V_2{O}_3$ thin films: an in-situ view