Effects of substrate on the structure and properties of V2O5 thin films prepared by the sol-gel method

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were prepared by sol-gel spin coating on Si and glass substrates. X-ray diffraction indicated that the annealed V2O5 film grown on Si substrate was a α-phase orthorhombic structure, while the annealed V2O5 film grown on glass substrates was a β-phase monoclinic structure. Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of a V-O bond on both phase films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the annealed film on the Si substrate exhibited more uniform rod-like morphology compared with glass substrate film. Electrical measurements indicated the typical n-type semiconducting behavior of both annealed films coated on Si and glass substrates.