Optical medium based on vanadium oxide films

The results of investigation of the optical properties of vanadium dioxide are reported. Thin VO2 films exhibited sharp and reversible optical switching due to the metal-insulator transition at T approximately equal to 70 degrees Celsius. The effect of laser irradiation on amorphous films of anodic vanadium oxide was also studied using a YAG Nd3+ laser at wavelengths of 1.06 and 0.53 micrometer. Modifications of the structure and physical properties are reported, and the application of such films for recording and storage of optical information is demonstrated.