Fractal Nature of Metallic and Insulating Domain Configurations in a VO2 Thin Film Revealed by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

We investigated the surface work function ( W S ) and its spatial distribution for epitaxial VO 2 /TiO 2 thin films using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Nearly grain-boundary-free samples allowed observation of metallic and insulating domains with distinct W S values, throughout the metal–ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2015-05, Vol.5 (1), p.10417-10417, Article 10417
Main Authors: Sohn, Ahrum, Kanki, Teruo, Sakai, Kotaro, Tanaka, Hidekazu, Kim, Dong-Wook
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/766/119/544
639/925/357/995
Humanities and Social Sciences
Microscopy
multidisciplinary
Science
Spatial distribution
Thin films
Titanium dioxide
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Summary:We investigated the surface work function ( W S ) and its spatial distribution for epitaxial VO 2 /TiO 2 thin films using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Nearly grain-boundary-free samples allowed observation of metallic and insulating domains with distinct W S values, throughout the metal–insulator transition. The metallic fraction, estimated from W S maps, describes the evolution of the resistance based on a two-dimensional percolation model. The KPFM measurements also revealed the fractal nature of the domain configuration.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep10417