Nanotextured Dynamics of a Light-Induced Phase Transition in VO2

Aaron J. Sternbach, Francesco L. Ruta, Yin Shi, Tetiana Slusar, Jacob Schalch, Guangwu Duan, Alexander S. McLeod, Xin Zhang, Mengkun Liu, Andrew J. Millis, Hyun Tak Kim, Long Qing Chen, Richard D. Averitt, D. N. Basov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

We investigate transient nanotextured heterogeneity in vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films during a light-induced insulator-to-metal transition (IMT). Time-resolved scanning near-field optical microscopy (Tr-SNOM) is used to study VO2 across a wide parameter space of infrared frequencies, picosecond time scales, and elevated steady-state temperatures with nanoscale spatial resolution. Room temperature, steady-state, phonon enhanced nano-optical contrast reveals preexisting "hidden"disorder. The observed contrast is associated with inequivalent twin domain structures. Upon thermal or optical initiation of the IMT, coexisting metallic and insulating regions are observed. Correlations between the transient and steady-state nano-optical textures reveal that heterogeneous nucleation is partially anchored to twin domain interfaces and grain boundaries. Ultrafast nanoscopic dynamics enable quantification of the growth rate and bound the nucleation rate. Finally, we deterministically anchor photoinduced nucleation to predefined nanoscopic regions by locally enhancing the electric field of pump radiation using nanoantennas and monitor the on-demand emergent metallicity in space and time.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)9052-9060
Number of pages9
JournalNano letters
Volume21
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 10 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Nanotextured Dynamics of a Light-Induced Phase Transition in VO2'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this