Structural and microstructural analyses of VO2 film grown on Si substrate by magnetron sputtering

Abstract VO2 film was deposited on Si (001) substrate by magnetron sputtering with substrate biasing. The structures and microstructures of the film were characterized by means of Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A textured VO2 film with a thickness of approximately 300 nm was deposited on the Si substrate. Upon combining the selected-area electron diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution TEM results, it was clear that the film mainly contained a crystalline monoclinic VO2 phase, which is consistent with the Raman and XRD results. At the VO2 film/Si substrate interface, an amorphous layer (∼15 nm) and a low-density region of crystalline VO2 (∼ 50 nm) were observed. In addition, the XRD measurements conducted at different temperatures indicated that the structural transformation of the VO2 film from a low-temperature monoclinic structure to a high-temperature tetragonal structure occurred.