B. Abdel Samad and P.V.Ashrit

Thin Films and Photonics Research Group (GCMP), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Université de Moncton, Moncton, N.B. Canada E1A 3E9

Vanadium dioxide is a well-known phase transition material which has become the focus of basic and applied research worldwide in recent years. This semiconductor to metal (SCTM) transition, which generally happens around 68oC, is accompanied by drastic optical and electrical changes and exhibits a hysteresis. In thin film form, the transition temperature and the hysteresis of VO2 have been found to depend strongly on the film nanostructure, which in turn is sensitive to the film preparation conditions. The control of these parameters is especially important from the application point of view of these films. In the present work, the post-deposition bombardment of sputter deposited VO2 thin films by a fast beam of argon atoms has been studied systematically for the first time. The results indicate the rich potential of this approach in tailoring the transition temperature and hysteresis behaviour of VO2 films over a wide range.