The infrared optical performance of VO2 film prepared by HiPIMS

Abstract In this paper, the VO2 thermochromic film was in-situ prepared by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS). The discharge property of HiPIMS is regulated via the average power to optimize the optical performance of VO2 film. And the thermochromic ability characterized by △T2500 can exceed 55 %. Besides, the phase transition temperature (e.g., ∼42 °C) is much lower than 68 °C and with a narrow width of hysteresis loops (e.g., ∼4 °C). Furthermore, the infrared radiation performance is studied by sputtering VO2 film on a polished Al foil. The emittance difference (△e) of the VO2 film achieves 0.12 at mid-infrared regions as temperature increases, which can be distinctly distinguished from the circumstance in the thermal images. The investigation comprehensively characterizes the VO2 film prepared by a rarely used method and demonstrates its possibility for infrared signaling and detection in industrial and military applications.