Metal-insulator transitions in stable V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films. Atomic layer deposition and postdeposition annealing studies

New, stable V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films are prepared using VO(acac)${}_2$ and ozone (O${}_3$) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and a post-treatment process on a c-Al${}_2$O${}_3$ substrate. The obtained V${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films are crystalline, and have single-phase and rhombohedral structure. The present ALD process yields a thickness of 48 nm by 1000 ALD cycles at a temperature of 200 °C; it portrays uniformity on planar sapphire substrates. The V${}_2$O${}_3$ films (48 nm) exhibit a sharp metal-insulator transition (MIT) at a temperature of ≈165 K with five orders of magnitude change in electrical resistivity. (© 2021 Wiley‐VCH GmbH)