Epitaxial growth and structural transition of VO2/MgF2(001)

We fabricated epitaxial VO2 thin films on MgF2(001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Epitaxial films were obtained at deposition temperatures below 520 °C, whereas prominent interdiffusion between VO2 and MgF2 was observed at higher temperatures. We found that epitaxial strain controlled by the deposition temperature results in the shift of the phase transition temperature of the VO2 films. The structural phase transition temperature evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction is coincident with the metal-insulator phase transition temperature.