Constraining Data Mining with Physical Models: Voltage- and Oxygen Pressure-Dependent Transport in Multiferroic Nanostructures

Development of new generation electronic devices necessitates understanding and controlling the electronic transport in ferroic, magnetic, and optical materials, which is hampered by two factors. First, the complications of working at the nanoscale, where interfaces, grain boundaries, defects, and so forth, dictate the macroscopic characteristics. Second, the convolution of the response signals stemming from the fact that several physical processes may be activated simultaneously. Here, we present a method of solving these challenges via a combination of atomic force microscopy and data mining analysis techniques. Rational selection of the latter allows application of physical constraints and enables direct interpretation of the statistically significant behaviors in the framework of the chosen physical model, thus distilling physical meaning out of raw data. We demonstrate our approach with an example of deconvolution of complex transport behavior in a bismuth ferrite–cobalt ferrite nanocomposite in ambient and ultrahigh vacuum environments. Measured signal is apportioned into four electronic transport patterns, showing different dependence on partial oxygen and water vapor pressure. These patterns are described in terms of Ohmic conductance and Schottky emission models in the light of surface electrochemistry. Furthermore, deep data analysis allows extraction of local dopant concentrations and barrier heights empowering our understanding of the underlying dynamic mechanisms of resistive switching

Deep Data Analysis of Conductive Phenomena on Complex Oxide Interfaces: Physics from Data Mining

Spatial variability of electronic transport in BiFeO₃–CoFe₂O₄ (BFO–CFO) self-assembled heterostructures is explored using spatially resolved first-order reversal curve (FORC) current voltage (IV) mapping. Multivariate statistical analysis of FORC-IV data classifies statistically significant behaviors and maps characteristic responses spatially. In particular, regions of grain, matrix, and grain boundary responses are clearly identified. <i>k</i>-Means and Bayesian demixing analysis suggest the characteristic response be separated into four components, with hysteretic-type behavior localized at the BFO–CFO tubular interfaces. The conditions under which Bayesian components allow direct physical interpretation are explored, and transport mechanisms at the grain boundaries and individual phases are analyzed. This approach conjoins multivariate statistical analysis with physics-based interpretation, actualizing a robust, universal, data-driven approach to problem solving, which can be applied to exploration of local transport and other functional phenomena in other spatially inhomogeneous systems