STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF SPUTTERED VANADIUM-OXIDE THIN-FILMS FOR APPLICATIONS AS GAS-SENSING MATERIAL

A detailed structural and morphological investigation has been carried out by conventional transmission electron microscopy, high resolution electron microscopy and nanodiffraction methods on vanadium oxide fil ms obtained by reactive rf sputter at a high power discharge (1000 W) and different O-2/Ar ratio. Electrical characterization has been also performed in controlled atmosphere in order to investigate the influen ce of NO2 oxidizing gas on the material conductance as a function of d eposition parameters. A strict relation between structure, morphology and resistance variation in controlled atmosphere has been observed. ( C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.