A study of physical properties and gas-surface interaction of vanadium oxide thin films

Thin films of vanadium oxide were prepared by means of r.f, reactive sputte ring. Their physical properties were studied as a function of the oxygen co ntent in the sputtering atmosphere. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectromicroscopy (XPSM) investigations have been used for t he study of the morphology and the chemical composition. In addition electr ical characterisation in controlled atmosphere has been also performed for the evaluation of gas sensing properties, In particular, films deposited wi th 15% O-2 in the sputtering chamber were found to tx more resistive and to exhibit the best sensitivity when exposed to different gases. This behavio ur has been explained taking into account the presence of different crystal lographic phases and the influence of the polycrystalline nature of the fil ms. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.