In operando Structural Phase mapping of photosensitive neuristive devices under light excitation

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are inspired by the biological neural networks of the human brain, aiming to replicate its ability to learn, adapt, and process information in a parallel and flexible manner. The study of VO2 is particularly interesting for the development of ANNs due to its unique physical properties. In particular, VO2 undergoes a reversible phase transition from an insulator subjected to electrical or optical stimuli. This transition is fast and reversible, making VO2 an excellent candidate for mimicking the binary or analogue switching behaviour observed in biological synapses. This proposal aims to use scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy at the ID01 beamline to conduct an in-depth examination of the phase transition in VO2 films. We propose to monitor specific diffraction peaks of VO2, which are sensitive to unit cell distortion caused by phase transitions induced by Vis-IR light irradiation, in proximity to arrays of plasmonic nanoheaters.