About Automated Experiment

\(_{Yongtao}\) \(_{Liu,}\) \(_{youngtaoliu@gmail.com}\)

\(_{March}\) \(_{2026}\)

Automated experiments perform tasks with minimal or no human intervention to improve efficiency and precision. A key example is high-throughput experimentation, which automates and accelerates data acquisition and analysis, allowing researchers to rapidly gather substantial data and gain valuable insights into materials properties. In high-throughput microscopy experiments, data can be efficiently collected from multiple sample sites in a systematic, sequential manner. This minimizes human intervention, reduces the risk of human error, and improves reproducibility and efficiency.

In this chapter, we introduce three workflows constructed with AEcroscoPy for automated microscopy experiments:

• Domain Writing Workflow — Automates the application of DC voltage pulses to switch ferroelectric polarization at defined grid locations, followed by PFM imaging to capture the resulting domain patterns.