Thickness-dependent physical properties of sputtered V2O5 films and Ti/V2O5/n-Si Schottky barrier diode

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on n-type silicon (n-Si) and glass substrates at 500 °C. V2O5 thin films were deposited with various thicknesses (100–400 nm). The effect of film thickness on the physical properties of the films was systematically investigated by different characterization techniques. The structural, morphological, optical and carrier properties of the samples were characterized using various techniques. All of the obtained films were found to have an orthorhombic structure and preferred orientation along (001) plane. The band gap energy values of the films were found to be in the range from 2.23 to 2.50 eV, and their optical transmittance were in the range from 20 to 80% in the visible region. With increasing film thickness, it was seen that the surface roughness increased and the resistivity decreased. Then, electrical parameters of the Ti/V2O5 Schottky diode fabricated on n-Si substrate by the sputtering system were presented at the room temperature. The obtained experimental results showed that the deposited V2O5 films can be used in electro-optical applications.