PHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON ELECTRON-BEAM EVAPORATED VANADIUM PENTOXIDE FILMS

Thin films of vanadium pentoside were prepared by the electron-beam ev aporation technique onto Corning 7059 glass and silicon substrates mai ntained at T-s = 553 K by varying the oxygen partial pressure in the r ange 0.1-20 mPa. These films have been characterized by studying their chemical state, structure, optical and electrical properties. V2O5 fi lms of thickness 0.6 mu m prepared at an oxygen partial pressure of 20 mPa exhibit an orthorhombic layered structure with an optical band ga p of 2.3 eV. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the films is 2 x 10(-5) S cm(-1) with an activation energy of 0.42 V in the tem perature range 303-523 K. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights re served.