Reversible control of the metal-insulator transition in V2O3 thin films through plasma hydrogenation. (1st March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sultan, M T; Arnalds, U B
• Is Part Of: Physica scripta. Volume 97:Number 3(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03-01
• Subjects: V2O3 -- metal-insulator transition -- XRD -- AFM -- Raman spectroscopy; Physics -- Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/ac50c5
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-8949

Abstract

Abstract: We investigate the effect of hydrogen plasma treatment on the metal-insulator transition (MIT) of epitaxial V2 O3 films grown on c -Al2 O3 . The films were exposed to plasma at constant power for varying intervals. With increasing hydrogenation the films display a suppression of the MIT magnitude and temperature due to neutralization of structural defects and passivation of unpaired bonds by incorporation of atomic hydrogen as supported by relaxation in strain by XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis, while stabilizing the metallic phase due to reduction in Peierls dimerization of V-V bonds. Heating to 350-400 °C the electrical characteristics of the film in the as-grown state are regained showing the possibility of reversibly controlling the MIT characteristics.