  Electronic conduction pathways in dielectric thin films are explored using
automated experiments in scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Here, we use large
field of view scanning to identify the position of localized conductive spots
and develop a SPM workflow to probe their dynamic behavior at higher spatial
resolution as a function of time, voltage, and scanning process in an automated
fashion. Using this approach, we observe the variable behaviors of the
conductive spots in a 20 nm thick ferroelectric Hf0.54Zr0.48O2 film, where
conductive spots disappear and reappear during continuous scanning. There are
also new conductive spots that appear during scanning. The automated workflow
is universal and can be integrated into a wide range of microscopy techniques,
including SPM, electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and chemical imaging.
