Fabrication of Epitaxial W-Doped VO₂ Nanostructured Films for Terahertz Modulation Using the Solvothermal Process

We report a feasible and high-throughput method for high-quality W-doped VO2 nanostructured epitaxial films on r-sapphire substrate fabrication. Single-phase, smooth vanadium dioxide thin films with uniform distribution of tungsten (up to 2.3%) are formed using the solvothermal process from ethylene glycol/water V4+ and W6+ solutions. Compositional analysis by X-ray photoelectron and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XPS and EDX, respectively); structural analysis (X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED)); and detailed analysis of the surface morphology and substrate–film interface using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (SEM, AFM, HRTEM, respectively) confirm the formation of nanoscale (50–60 nm) epitaxial W:VO2 (M1) on r-sapphire with epitaxial relationships (100)VO2∥(101̅2)Al2O3 and [010]VO2∥[011̅0]Al2O3. The nanostructured films demonstrate excellent terahertz (THz) transmission properties: a phase transition temperature of 31 °C, a huge THz modulation depth of over 60%, and broad bandwidth (≥2 THz) operation. Hence, they can be efficiently used as active material for tunable THz manipulation devices.