Strain induced pressure effect in pulsed laser deposited thin films of the strongly correlated oxide V2O3

TL;DR

This study investigates how strain affects the pressure-induced electronic properties of pulsed laser deposited V2O3 thin films, revealing variations in metal-insulator transition behavior and Fermi liquid characteristics.

Contribution

It provides new insights into strain-induced pressure effects on V2O3 thin films, including their structural, electronic, and resistivity properties, which differ from bulk material behavior.

Findings

Some films exhibit metal-insulator transition; others show metallic behavior.

Resistivity follows a T^2 dependence, indicating Fermi liquid behavior.

The A coefficient is three times larger than bulk at 25 kbar.

Abstract

V2O3 thin films about 10 nm thick were grown on Al2O3 (0001) by pulsed laser deposition. The XRD analysis is in agreement with R-3c space group. Some of them exhibit the metal / insulator transition characteristic of V2O3 bulk material and others samples exhibit a metallic behavior. For the latter, the XPS analysis indicates an oxidation state of +III for vanadium. There is no metal / insulator transition around 150 K in this sample and a strongly correlated Fermi liquid rho = AT2 behavior of the resistivity at low temperature is observed, with a value of A of 1.2 10-4 ohm cm, 3 times larger than the bulk value at 25 kbar.