Optical Switches Based on Vanadium Dioxide Films Grown By The Sol-Gel Process

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OPTICAL SWITCHES BASED ON VANADIUM DIOXIDE FILMS GROWN BY THE SOL-GEL PROCESS Richard S. Potember and Kenneth R. Speck The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA ABSTRACT Vanadium tetrakis

dioxide

(t-butoxide)

thin

films

by the

have been

grown

sol-gel process.

from

vanadium

A new method for

the synthesis of the vanadium precursor was also developed. Films were deposited by dipcoating glass slides from an isopropanol solution,

followed

600*C under

by post-deposition

nitrogen.

The

annealing

properties of these

of the films,

films at to a high

degree, were a function of crystalline boundaries and crystalline grain size. These gel-derived V0 2 films undergo a reversible semiconductor-to-metal

phase

transition

near

72*C,

exhibiting

characteristic resistive and spectral switching comparable with near stoichiometric V0 2 films prepared on non-crystalline substrates

by other techniques.

Films were

transition metal oxides to demonstrate

doped with hexavalent

lowering of the transition

of the transition temperature.

INTRODUCTION Vanadium dioxide is induced

known to undergo a reversible

semiconductor-to-metal

Associated

with

this

phase

transition,

changes in its optical, electrical, with respect to temperature (3,4] . prompted

considerable

interest

in

transition

the

material

at

thermally68 0 C

exhibits

(1,2]. large

and magnetic characteristics This anomalous behavior has the

fabrication

of

vanadium

dioxide thin films for scientific investigation and for use in various technological applications [5,6]. Recently, V0 2 has been studied walls.

for use as an energy-conserving coating for windows and Other applications include electro- and photo-chromic

devices, thermal sensors and transparent electrical conductors. There have also been numerous studies involving the incorporation of various transition metal ions into the V0 2 lattice.

It

was

raised or lowered,

observed that the transition temperature may be depending on the valence of the dopant ion.

Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 180. ©1990 Materials Research Society

754

Tungsten, with

molybdenum,

increasing

effect

per

resistance quickly

and tantalum

concentration,

atomic

percent

ratio before

for low

dopant

infrared transmission is

small [7]. Processing

Figure

and

of

crystal

having

[6-9] .

after

the transformation

levels.

However,

In

of

these

structure

tungsten

each

large

films

V0 2

Tt

largest

case,

the

decreases

changes

in

the

shown

the

or

in

glass

Dopant ions were placed into

vanadium

molybdenum

schematically

deposited by dipcoating

solution.

of

is

dioxide

isopropanolic solutions of the vanadium tetrakis those

the

added

Thin films of V0 2 were

1.

are known to decrease

tungsten

are observed even when the resistance ratio

slides from an isopropanol the

ions

with

(VI)

by

combining

(t-butoxide) with

oxytetrachloride

(Alfa) .

Tungsten and molybdenum were chosen as dopants because of the very large effec