Effects of deposition parameters on the properties of VO2 thin films

Abstract The vanadium oxide thin films are deposited for microbolometers by radio frequency reactive sputtering method at room temperature. The effects of the oxygen partial pressure on the deposition rate, electrical properties and compositions of the films are discussed. The as-deposited VO x thin films with x value of nearly 2 are deposited by adjusting the oxygen partial pressure. After oxidation annealing of these films in air, the VO2 films with high temperature coefficients of resistivity (about –4%/°C) and low resistivity can be obtained. The square resistances of the films are in the range of 100 kΩ/squ–300 kΩ/squ. All films are deposited at room temperature and annealed at 400°C, in which the compatibility between VO x deposition process and MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) is greatly improved.