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

Ahrum Sohn; Teruo Kanki; Kotaro Sakai; Hidekazu Tanaka; Dong Wook Kim

doi:10.1038/srep10417

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

Ahrum Sohn, Teruo Kanki, Kotaro Sakai, Hidekazu Tanaka, Dong Wook Kim

Department of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

We investigated the surface work function (W_S) and its spatial distribution for epitaxial VO₂/TiO₂ 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.

Original language	English
Article number	10417
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10417
State	Published - 18 May 2015

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Cite this

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