Tunable metal-insulator transition of V2O3 thin films strained by controlled inclusion of crystallographic defect

Abstract Current understanding of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) of V2O3 based on the electronic band structures states that the electrical properties of V2O3 are extremely sensitive to the crystallographic structures. In the present report, we present the systematic tuning of the MIT characteristics through the control of crystallographic structure of the polycrystalline V2O3 thin film. Both crystallographic textures and the residual strains due to the presence of controlled amount of stacking faults in the films could be adjusted with the proper control of deposition conditions and the corresponding changes in the electrical properties have be tracked to establish the tunability of MIT temperature as well as the transition rates. Observed change was understood with the consideration of electronic band structures, through which the effect of atomic distances to the electron band gap was demonstrated. Additionally, it was found that the lattice strain of a strongly textured V2O3 influences both room temperature resistivity and MIT temperature.