Effect of Post-Annealing Treatment on the Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of V2O5 Thin Films

Abstract

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were prepared on microscope glass slides using the reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature. Post annealing process was performed at atmospheric conditions in 480°C for 1 hour. To investigate the effect of post-annealing treatment, morphological and structural analyses were carried out by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Additionally optical characterization was completed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were performed to examine electrical properties. XRD revealed the drastic effect of post-annealing on the crystallization of amorphous V2O5 thin films. The amorphous as-deposited film structure transformed into the polycrystalline form after post-annealing treatment. FESEM images revealed a remarkable change in surface morphology from a smooth flat surface to a rough surface with the formation of V2O5 nanorods under the influence of post-annealing. Optical energy band gap was observed to decrease drastically. The significant changes in the structure and morphology of the thin films with post-annealing affected their electrical properties to a fair extent. While resistance increased, capacitance and dielectric permittivity of the films decreased with post-annealing treatment.

Keywords

• Amorphous V2O5
• Post-Annealing
• DC Magnetron Sputtering
• Thin Films
• Characterization

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