Amorphous vanadium oxide (VO2) films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were crystallized with an ex situ anneal at 660-670 degrees C for 1-2 h under a low oxygen pressure (10 (4) to 10 (5) Torr). Under these conditions the crystalline VO2 phase was maintained, while formation of the V2O5 phase was suppressed. Electrical transition from the insulator to the metallic phase was observed in the 37-60 degrees C range, with an R-OFF/R-ON ratio of up to about 750 and Delta T-C congruent to 7-10 degrees C. Lateral electric field applied across two-terminal device structures induced a reversible phase change, with a room temperature transition field of about 25 kV/cm in the VO2 sample processed with the 2 h long O-2 anneal. Both the width and slope of the field induced MIT I-V hysteresis were dependent upon the VO2 crystalline quality. Published by Elsevier Ltd.