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Updated: Sep 10, 2025
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Atomic Layer Deposition of Vanadium Dioxide and a Temperature-dependent Optical Model
Published on: May 23, 2018
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Quantifying fast structural relaxations in oxide V2O3 thin films
P Rajak1,2,3, S K Chaluvadi1, S Punathum Chalil1,2
1CNR-IOM Istituto Officina dei Materiali, 34149 Trieste, Italy.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|August 22, 2025
Summary
Vanadium sesquioxide thin films rapidly relax structurally near the interface due to dislocation formation. Understanding this process is key for optimizing vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3) devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Thin Film Technology
Background:
- Vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3) exhibits significant technological potential in devices like those for resistive switching, energy storage, and catalysis.
- Understanding the structural relaxation dynamics of V2O3 thin films is crucial for realizing their full potential in functional devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fast-structural relaxation phenomenon in V2O3 thin films.
- To analyze the interfacial quality, structural changes, and chemical composition of V2O3 thin films.
Main Methods:
- Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique using a Nd:YAG pulsed infrared laser source.
- Quantitative analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images.
- Strain analysis to study structural relaxation mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Structural relaxation in V2O3 thin films occurs rapidly within the first ~4 nm from the film-substrate interface.
- The relaxation mechanism involves the formation of dislocations near the interface.
- Enhanced strain coupling at the film-substrate interface drives the relaxation behavior.
Conclusions:
- V2O3's strongly correlated metallic phase is sensitive to crystalline defects and structural disorder.
- Interfacial relaxation dynamics significantly influence the properties of V2O3 thin films.
- Understanding these dynamics is critical for designing and optimizing V2O3-based functional devices.
