Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering

Plugaru, Rodica; Mihalache, Iuliana; Romaniţan, Cosmin; Comanescu, Florin; Vulpe, Silviu; Craciun, Gabriel; Plugaru, Neculai; Djourelov, Nikolay

doi:10.3390/s23041759

Open AccessArticle

Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering

by

Rodica Plugaru

^1,*

,

Iuliana Mihalache

^1,*

,

Cosmin Romaniţan

^1,*

,

Florin Comanescu

¹,

Silviu Vulpe

¹,

Gabriel Craciun

¹

,

Neculai Plugaru

¹

and

Nikolay Djourelov

²

¹

National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies-IMT Bucharest, Erou Iancu Nicolae 126 A, 077190 Voluntari, Ilfov, Romania

²

Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP), “Horia Hulubei” National R&D Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), 077125 Magurele, Romania

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sensors 2023, 23(4), 1759; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041759

Submission received: 13 January 2023 / Revised: 30 January 2023 / Accepted: 1 February 2023 / Published: 4 February 2023

(This article belongs to the Section Optical Sensors)

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Abstract

In this study we analyzed the structure and light-sensing properties of as-deposited vanadium oxide thin films, prepared by RF sputtering in different Ar:O₂ flow rate conditions, at low temperature (e.g., 65 °C). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to analyze the film microstructure, composition and the oxidation states of vanadium ions. The SEM micrographs evidence V_xO_y films with smooth surfaces, whereas the XRD patterns show their amorphous structure. Raman spectra indicate an increased structural disorder in the films deposited in Ar:O₂ flow comparatively with those deposited solely in Ar flow. The XPS data suggest the modification of the oxidation state from V⁴⁺ to V⁵⁺, thus proving the formation of the V₂O₅ phase when increasing the oxygen content, which further affects the films’ optical properties. We observed a good stability of the photogenerated current in Si/SiO₂/V_xO_y/TiN heterostructures upon excitation with pulses of UV (360 nm), VIS (white light) and NIR (860 nm) light. The responsivity, detectivity and linear dynamic range parameters increase with the O/V ratio in the V_xO_y films, reaching comparable values with photodetectors based on crystalline V₂O₅ or VO₂.

Keywords: light-sensing; vanadium oxide; RF sputtering

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MDPI and ACS Style

Plugaru, R.; Mihalache, I.; Romaniţan, C.; Comanescu, F.; Vulpe, S.; Craciun, G.; Plugaru, N.; Djourelov, N. Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering. Sensors 2023, 23, 1759. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041759

AMA Style

Plugaru R, Mihalache I, Romaniţan C, Comanescu F, Vulpe S, Craciun G, Plugaru N, Djourelov N. Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering. Sensors. 2023; 23(4):1759. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041759

Chicago/Turabian Style

Plugaru, Rodica, Iuliana Mihalache, Cosmin Romaniţan, Florin Comanescu, Silviu Vulpe, Gabriel Craciun, Neculai Plugaru, and Nikolay Djourelov. 2023. "Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering" Sensors 23, no. 4: 1759. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041759

APA Style

Plugaru, R., Mihalache, I., Romaniţan, C., Comanescu, F., Vulpe, S., Craciun, G., Plugaru, N., & Djourelov, N. (2023). Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering. Sensors, 23(4), 1759. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041759

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Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering

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