Pulsed Laser Deposition of VO 2 Single Crystal Thin Films on Sapphire Substrates

Thin films of VO 2 single-crystalline on (0001) sapphire substrates have been prepared by visible pulsed laser ablation technique. The crystal quality and properties of the films are evaluated through electrical resistance measurement, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Rutherford-backscattering spectroscopy/channeling (RBS/C) analysis. The dependence of the surface electrical resistance of the films on the temperature shows semiconductor-to-metal transitions with the resistance change of 7 × 10 3 -2 × 10 4 . The hysteresis widths are from less than 1 to 3 K. XRD and RBS/C data reveal that the films prepared in particular conditions are single-crystalline VO 2 with the (010) planes parallel to the surface of the sapphire substrate.