Growth and characterization of VO2/p-GaN/sapphire heterostructure with phase transition properties

•VO2 films were deposited on p-GaN/sapphire substrates by PLD.•A well-defined VO2/p-GaN/sapphire interface was observed.•The valence state of V in VO2 films was confirmed by XPS analyses.•A distinct reversible SMT phase transition behavior was observed.

High quality pure phase VO2 films were deposited on p-GaN/sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). A well-defined interface with dense and uniform morphology was observed in the as-grown VO2/p-GaN/sapphire heterostructure. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirmed the valence state of vanadium (V) in VO2 films was principally composed of V4+ with trace amount of V5+, no other valence state of V was detected. Meanwhile, a distinct reversible semiconductor-to-metal (SMT) phase transition with resistance change up to nearly three orders of magnitude was observed in the temperature dependent electrical resistance measurement, which was comparable to the high quality VO2 film grown directly on sapphire substrates. Our present findings will give a deeper insight into the physical mechanism behind the exotic characteristics of VO2/p-GaN heterostructure, and further motivate research in novel devices with combined functional properties of both correlated oxide and wide bandgap nitride semiconductors.