No Arabic abstract
A shift-invariant variational autoencoder (shift-VAE) is developed as an unsupervised method for the analysis of spectral data in the presence of shifts along the parameter axis, disentangling the physically-relevant shifts from other latent variables. Using synthetic data sets, we show that the shift-VAE latent variables closely match the ground truth parameters. The shift VAE is extended towards the analysis of band-excitation piezoresponse force microscopy (BE-PFM) data, disentangling the resonance frequency shifts from the peak shape parameters in a model-free unsupervised manner. The extensions of this approach towards denoising of data and model-free dimensionality reduction in imaging and spectroscopic data are further demonstrated. This approach is universal and can also be extended to analysis of X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, Raman spectra, and other data sets.
Mapping energy transformation pathways and dissipation on the nanoscale and understanding the role of local structure on dissipative behavior is a challenge for imaging in areas ranging from electronics and information technologies to efficient energy production. Here we develop a novel Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) technique in which the cantilever is excited and the response is recorded over a band of frequencies simultaneously rather than at a single frequency as in conventional SPMs. This band excitation (BE) SPM allows very rapid acquisition of the full frequency response at each point (i.e. transfer function) in an image and in particular enables the direct measurement of energy dissipation through the determination of the Q-factor of the cantilever-sample system. The BE method is demonstrated for force-distance and voltage spectroscopies and for magnetic dissipation imaging with sensitivity close to the thermomechanical limit. The applicability of BE for various SPMs is analyzed, and the method is expected to be universally applicable to all ambient and liquid SPMs.
The universal tendency in scanning probe microscopy (SPM) over the last two decades is to transition from simple 2D imaging to complex detection and spectroscopic imaging modes. The emergence of complex SPM engines brings forth the challenge of reliable data interpretation, i.e. conversion from detected signal to descriptors specific to tip-surface interactions and subsequently to materials properties. Here, we implemented a Bayesian inference approach for the analysis of the image formation mechanisms in band excitation (BE) SPM. Compared to the point estimates in classical functional fit approaches, Bayesian inference allows for the incorporation of extant knowledge of materials and probe behavior in the form of corresponding prior distribution and return the information on the material functionality in the form of readily interpretable posterior distributions. We note that in application of Bayesian methods, special care should be made for proper setting on the problem as model selection vs. establishing practical parameter equivalence. We further explore the non-linear mechanical behaviors at topological defects in a classical ferroelectric material, PbTiO3. We observe the non-trivial evolution of Duffing resonance frequency and the nonlinearity of the sample surface, suggesting the presence of the hidden elements of domain structure. These observations suggest that the spectrum of anomalous behaviors at the ferroelectric domain walls can be significantly broader than previously believed and can extend to non-conventional mechanical properties in addition to static and microwave conductance.
Polarization dynamics in ferroelectric materials are explored via the automated experiment in Piezoresponse Force Spectroscopy. A Bayesian Optimization framework for imaging is developed and its performance for a variety of acquisition and pathfinding functions is explored using previously acquired data. The optimized algorithm is then deployed on an operational scanning probe microscope (SPM) for finding areas of large electromechanical response in a thin film of PbTiO3, with metrics showing gains of ~3x in the sampling efficiency. This approach opens the pathway to perform more complex spectroscopies in SPM that were previously not possible due to time constraints and sample stability, tip wear, and/or stochastic sample damage that occurs at specific, a priori unknown spatial positions. Potential improvements to the framework to enable the incorporation of more prior information and improve efficiency further are discussed.
Recent advances in scanning tunneling and transmission electron microscopies (STM and STEM) have allowed routine generation of large volumes of imaging data containing information on the structure and functionality of materials. The experimental data sets contain signatures of long-range phenomena such as physical order parameter fields, polarization and strain gradients in STEM, or standing electronic waves and carrier-mediated exchange interactions in STM, all superimposed onto scanning system distortions and gradual changes of contrast due to drift and/or mis-tilt effects. Correspondingly, while the human eye can readily identify certain patterns in the images such as lattice periodicities, repeating structural elements, or microstructures, their automatic extraction and classification are highly non-trivial and universal pathways to accomplish such analyses are absent. We pose that the most distinctive elements of the patterns observed in STM and (S)TEM images are similarity and (almost-) periodicity, behaviors stemming directly from the parsimony of elementary atomic structures, superimposed on the gradual changes reflective of order parameter distributions. However, the discovery of these elements via global Fourier methods is non-trivial due to variability and lack of ideal discrete translation symmetry. To address this problem, we develop shift-invariant variational autoencoders (shift-VAE) that allow disentangling characteristic repeating features in the images, their variations, and shifts inevitable for random sampling of image space. Shift-VAEs balance the uncertainty in the position of the object of interest with the uncertainty in shape reconstruction. This approach is illustrated for model 1D data, and further extended to synthetic and experimental STM and STEM 2D data.
Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) measures tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) with atomic resolution. While various methods for achieving SP probes have been developed, each is limited with respect to fabrication, performance, and allowed operating conditions. In this study, we present the fabrication and use of SP-STM tips made from commercially available antiferromagnetic $rm{Mn_{88}Ni_{12}}$ foil. The tips are intrinsically SP, which is attractive for exploring magnetic phenomena in the zero field limit. The tip material is relatively ductile and straightforward to etch. We benchmark the conventional STM and spectroscopic performance of our tips and demonstrate their spin sensitivity by measuring the two-state switching of holmium single atom magnets on MgO/Ag(100).