Abstract
Topological defects in ferroelectric materials have attracted much attention due to the emergence of conductive, ferroic, and magnetic functionalities. However, many topological configurations dynamically evolve during the switching processes, making them a challenge to characterize via traditional techniques. Here, we implement an automated experimentation approach for the exploration of functional properties in BiFeO3 thin films. Specifically, we visualize the ferroelectric domain structures via single frequency piezoresponse force microscopy and implement a computer vision-based algorithm to discover features of interest at which spectroscopic measurements are taken. Subsequently, we employ dimensionality reduction techniques to reveal characteristic polarization behaviors at these features. This approach can be extended to other spectroscopies and modalities to probe only specific features of interest, ultimately enabling dynamical processes in ferroelectrics to be studied.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 132902 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 119 |
Issue number | 13 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 27 2021 |
Funding
The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (K.P.K., R.K.V.). The PFM work was conducted at and supported by the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility (S.V.K., M.Z., S.J.).