Pulsed laser deposition of VO2 single crystal thin films on sapphire substrates

Thin films of VO2 single-crystalline on (0001) sapphire substrates have bee n prepared by visible pulsed laser ablation technique. The crystal quality and properties of the films are evaluated through electrical resistance mea surement, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Rutherford-backscattering spectrosco py/channeling (RBS/C) analysis. The dependence of the surface electrical re sistance of the films on the temperature shows semiconductor-to-metal trans itions with the resistance change of 7x10(3)-2 x 10(4). The hysteresis widt hs are from less than I to 3 K. XRD and RBS/C data reveal that the films pr epared in particular conditions are single-crystalline VO2 with the (010) p lanes parallel to the surface of the sapphire substrate.