Effect of deformation on the metal-semiconductor phase transition in vanadium dioxide thin films

It has been demonstrated that a small plastic deformation of aluminum substrates with vanadium dioxide thin films deposited on the substrate surfaces is accompanied by the appearance of elastic stresses in the films. Depending on the deformation technique, the elastic stresses can have different signs and the range of the metal-semiconductor phase transition in VO₂ shifts toward higher or lower temperatures as compared to the equilibrium phase temperature.