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Title: Current-modulated optical properties of vanadium dioxide thin films in the phase transition region

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4902924· OSTI ID:22392050
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  1. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)

Vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}) is a correlated electron material which undergoes an insulator-metal transition proximal to room temperature. The large change of optical properties across this phase transition is promising for tunable optical and optoelectronic devices especially at infrared frequencies. We demonstrate the ability to locally tune the optical properties on the micron scale through a simple design consisting of two electrodes patterned on a VO{sub 2} thin film. By current injection between the electrodes, a localized conducting path (metallic phase) can be formed within the insulating background. The width of the conducting path can be controlled by varying the applied current. Fourier transform infrared imaging shows that this current-modulated reflectance changes significantly over a distance on the order of the wavelength in the mid-infrared spectral range.

OSTI ID:
22392050
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 21; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English