Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Tensile strain along the ${c}_{R}$ axis in epitaxial ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ films raises the temperature of the metal insulator transition and is expected to stabilize the intermediate monoclinic M2 phase. We employ surface-sensitive x-ray spectroscopy to distinguish from the ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ substrate and identify the phases of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ as a function of temperature in epitaxial ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}/{\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ thin films with well-defined biaxial strain. Although qualitatively similar to our Landau-Ginzburg theory predicted phase diagrams, the M2 phase is stabilized by nearly an order of magnitude more strain than expected for the measured temperature window. Our results reveal that the elongation of the ${c}_{R}$ axis is insufficient for describing the transition pathway of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ epitaxial films and that a strain induced increase of electron correlation effects must be considered.
Institutions: Binghamton University, Cornell University, Diamond Light Source, University College London, University of Bath, Pennsylvania State University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Advanced Light Source, Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, University of South Florida
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, Diamond Light Source, Royal Society, Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Office of Science, Cornell Center for Materials Research, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Division of Materials Research, Basic Energy Sciences
Awards: G1016432330, G1126863173, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science, G1286236842, G1286251239, G1336448005, G1414775356, G1445641779, G1690895400, G1785385585, G1816284028, G1841858939, G1863003419, G1962673776, G1977972760, G1999224694, G2210792608, G2539837713, G2579886042, MRSEC: Center for Nanoscale Science, G3028004545, G3033709991, G30714459, G3083819904, G3220800589, G3327601824, G338944111, G365575497, G382641700, G3897559065, G3969844302, G419881185, G42916606, G440393388, G4501827968, Disentangling the structural and electronic phase transitions in ultrathin vanadium dioxide, G4611182784, G4656289215, G4678694819, G4796240486, G4935325810, G498139845, G5094664921, G5206177008, G522049510, Cornell Center for Materials Research - CEMRI, G5292656900, OPERATION OF CORNELL HIGH ENERGY SYNCHROTRON SOURCE (CHESS), G549834383, G5630498599, G5687849436, G5767301756, G5849692847, G5856998332, IMR: Acquisition of a High Resolution Electron Spectrometer for Subnanometer Electron Microscopy, Nanocharacterization Research and Education, NEW; SISGR - USING INTERFACES TO CREATE STRONGLY-COUPLED MAGNETIC-FERROELECTRICS; PI - DARRELL G. SCHLOM, G6429492609, G650090426, G719843099, G7328535987, G7561642361, NEW; SISGR - USING INTERFACES TO CREATE STRONGLY-COUPLED MAGNETIC-FERROELECTRICS; PI - DARRELL G. SCHLOM, G7987330999, G805243471, G8507651203, G8673467218, G969889393, G972021277
OpenAlex ID: W2487009237