Studies on magnetron-sputtered V₂O₅/ZnO thin films Available to Purchase

Crystalline vanadium oxide (V₂O₅) thin films were grown over zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer-coated glass substrates at room temperature by magnetron sputtering technique. Initially, ZnO thin films have been formed by oxidizing sputtered zinc films at different annealing temperatures (300–500°C) in ambient air for 1 h. The influence of ZnO buffer layer on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the V₂O₅ films was studied using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and four-point probe method. The thickness values of the deposited films were measured using the stylus probe profilometer. XRD patterns of the V₂O₅ deposited over ZnO (VZO) showed reflection planes corresponding to V₂O₅ and ZnO buffer layer. The optical studies showed the enhancement on the optical properties of V₂O₅ films deposited over ZnO buffer layer. The electrical studies of the VZO films showed that the resistivity of VZO films varied from 400 to 60 Ω cm. The enhancement in the optical and electrical properties may be due to the improvement in the crystallinity of the film because of ZnO buffer layer.