Local strain inhomogeneities during the electrical triggering of a metal-insulator transition revealed by the x-ray microscopy

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2310.07001
• Publication Date: 2023-01-01
• Authors: Pavel Salev; Elliot Kisiel; Dayne Sasaki; G. Brandon Gunn; Wei He; Mingzhen Feng; Junjie Li; Nobumichi Tamura; Ishwor Poudyal; Zahir Islam; Yayoi Takamura; Alex Frañó; Iván K. Schuller
• Keywords: Metal–insulator transition; Lattice (music)

Electrical triggering of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) often results in the formation characteristic spatial patterns such as metallic filament percolating through an insulating matrix or barrier splitting conducting matrix. When MIT is driven by electrothermal effects, temperature can be substantially higher than rest material. Using x-ray microdiffraction and dark-field microscopy, we show that leads to development inhomogeneous strain profile across switching device, even when material does not undergo 1st order structural phase coinciding with MIT. Diffraction measurements further reveal evidence lattice distortions twinning occurring within highlighting qualitative distinction between process equilibrium thermal expansion nonlinear electrical systems. Electrically induced development, distortions, could have important contributions drive into non-equilibrium states, providing unconventional pathway explore space strongly correlated electronic