TY  - JOUR
AU  - Domröse, Till
AU  - Fernandez, Noelia
AU  - Eckel, Christian
AU  - Rossnagel, Kai
AU  - Weitz, R. Thomas
AU  - Ropers, Claus
TI  - Nanoscale Operando Imaging of Electrically Driven Charge-Density Wave Phase Transitions
JO  - Nano letters
VL  - 24
IS  - 40
SN  - 1530-6984
CY  - Washington, DC
PB  - ACS Publ.
M1  - PUBDB-2024-06305
SP  - 12476-12485
PY  - 2024
AB  - Structural transformations in strongly correlated materials promise efficient and fast control of materials’ properties via electrical or optical stimulation. The desired functionality of devices operating based on phase transitions, however, will also be influenced by nanoscale heterogeneity. Experimentally characterizing the relationship between microstructure and phase switching remains challenging, as nanometer resolution and high sensitivity to subtle structural modifications are required. Here, we demonstrate nanoimaging of a current-induced phase transformation in the charge-density wave (CDW) material 1T-TaS<sub>2</sub>. Combining electrical characterizations with tailored contrast enhancement, we correlate macroscopic resistance changes with the nanoscale nucleation and growth of CDW phase domains. In particular, we locally determine the transformation barrier in the presence of dislocations and strain, underlining their non-negligible impact on future functional devices. Thereby, our results demonstrate the merit of tailored contrast enhancement and beam shaping for advanced operando microscopy of quantum materials and devices. 
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:39316412
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:001319875400001
DO  - DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03324
UR  - https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/616009
ER  -