Imaging Nanometer Phase Coexistence at Defects During the Insulator-Metal Phase Transformation in VO₂ Thin Films by Resonant Soft X-ray Holography

We use resonant soft X-ray holography to image the insulator-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide with element and polarization specificity and nanometer spatial resolution. We observe that nanoscale inhomogeneity in the film results in spatial-dependent transition pathways between the insulating and metallic states. Additional nanoscale phases form in the vicinity of defects which are not apparent in the initial or final states of the system, which would be missed in area-integrated X-ray absorption measurements. These intermediate phases are vital to understand the phase transition in VO₂, and our results demonstrate how resonant imaging can be used to understand the electronic properties of phase-separated correlated materials obtained by X-ray absorption.