Inhomogeneous electronic state near the insulator-to-metal transition in the correlated oxide VO2

A. Frenzel, M. M. Qazilbash, M. Brehm, Byung-Gyu Chae, Bong-Jun Kim, Hyun-Tak Kim, A. V. Balatsky, F. Keilmann, and D. N. Basov
Phys. Rev. B 80, 115115 – Published 16 September 2009

Abstract

We investigate the percolative insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) in films of the correlated material vanadium dioxide (VO2). Scattering-type scanning near-field infrared microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to explore the relationship between the nucleation of metallic regions and the topography in insulating VO2. We demonstrate that the IMT begins within 10 nm from grain boundaries and crevices by using mean curvature and statistical analysis. We also observe coexistence of insulating and metallic domains in a single crystalline grain that points to intrinsic inhomogeneity in VO2 due to competing electronic phases in the IMT regime.

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  • Received 26 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.115115

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Frenzel1, M. M. Qazilbash1,*, M. Brehm2, Byung-Gyu Chae3, Bong-Jun Kim3, Hyun-Tak Kim3, A. V. Balatsky4, F. Keilmann5, and D. N. Basov1

  • 1Physics Department, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
  • 2Abt. Molekulare Strukturbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie and Center for NanoScience, 82152 Martinsried, München, Germany
  • 3IT Convergence and Components Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 305-350, Korea
  • 4Theoretical Division and Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, MS B262, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
  • 5Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics–Munich Centre for Advanced Photonics and Center for NanoScience, 85748 Garching, Germany

  • *mumtaz@physics.ucsd.edu

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Vol. 80, Iss. 11 — 15 September 2009

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