Evaluation of crystallographic strain, rotation and defects in functional oxides by the moiré effect in scanning transmission electron microscopy

Moiré patterns in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images of epitaxial perovskite oxides are used to assess strain and defect densities over fields of view extending over several hundred nanometers. The patterns arise from the geometric overlap of the rastered STEM electron beam and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanotechnology 2018-04, Vol.29 (16), p.165704-165704
Main Authors: Naden, A B, O'Shea, K J, MacLaren, D A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
functional oxides
moiré
scanning transmission electron microscopy
strain
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Moiré patterns in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images of epitaxial perovskite oxides are used to assess strain and defect densities over fields of view extending over several hundred nanometers. The patterns arise from the geometric overlap of the rastered STEM electron beam and the samples' crystal periodicities and we explore the emergence and application of these moiré fringes for rapid strain analysis. Using the epitaxial functional oxide perovskites BiFeO3 and Pr1−xCaxMnO3, we discuss the impact of large degrees of strain on the quantification of STEM moiré patterns, identify defects in the fringe patterns and quantify strain and lattice rotation. Such a wide-area analysis of crystallographic strain and defects is crucial for developing structure-function relations of functional oxides and we find the STEM moiré technique to be an attractive means of structural assessment that can be readily applied to low dose studies of damage sensitive crystalline materials.
ISSN:0957-4484
1361-6528
DOI:10.1088/1361-6528/aaae50