110 research outputs found
Bending and Breaking of Stripes in a Charge-Ordered Manganite
In complex electronic materials, coupling between electrons and the atomic
lattice gives rise to remarkable phenomena, including colossal
magnetoresistance and metal-insulator transitions. Charge-ordered phases are a
prototypical manifestation of charge-lattice coupling, in which the atomic
lattice undergoes periodic lattice displacements (PLDs). Here we directly map
the picometer scale PLDs at individual atomic columns in the room temperature
charge-ordered manganite BiSrCaMnO using
aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). We
measure transverse, displacive lattice modulations of the cations, distinct
from existing manganite charge-order models. We reveal locally unidirectional
striped PLD domains as small as 5 nm, despite apparent bidirectionality
over larger length scales. Further, we observe a direct link between disorder
in one lattice modulation, in the form of dislocations and shear deformations,
and nascent order in the perpendicular modulation. By examining the defects and
symmetries of PLDs near the charge-ordering phase transition, we directly
visualize the local competition underpinning spatial heterogeneity in a complex
oxide.Comment: Main text: 20 pages, 4 figures. Supplemental Information: 27 pages,
14 figure
Commensurate Stripes and Phase Coherence in Manganites Revealed with Cryogenic Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Incommensurate charge order in hole-doped oxides is intertwined with exotic
phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance, high-temperature
superconductivity, and electronic nematicity. Here, we map at atomic resolution
the nature of incommensurate order in a manganite using scanning transmission
electron microscopy at room temperature and cryogenic temperature ( 93K).
In diffraction, the ordering wavevector changes upon cooling, a behavior
typically associated with incommensurate order. However, using real space
measurements, we discover that the underlying ordered state is
lattice-commensurate at both temperatures. The cations undergo picometer-scale
(6-11 pm) transverse displacements, which suggests that charge-lattice
coupling is strong and hence favors lattice-locked modulations. We further
unearth phase inhomogeneity in the periodic lattice displacements at room
temperature, and emergent phase coherence at 93K. Such local phase variations
not only govern the long range correlations of the charge-ordered state, but
also results in apparent shifts in the ordering wavevector. These
atomically-resolved observations underscore the importance of lattice coupling
and provide a microscopic explanation for putative "incommensurate" order in
hole-doped oxides
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Epitaxial growth of the first two members of the Ban +1InnO2.5 n +1Ruddlesden-Popper homologous series
We demonstrate the epitaxial growth of the first two members, and the n = ∞ member of the homologous Ruddlesden-Popper series of Ba n + 1 In n O 2.5 n + 1 of which the n = 1 member was previously unknown. The films were grown by suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy where the indium is provided by a molecular beam of indium-suboxide [In 2O (g)]. To facilitate ex situ characterization of the highly hygroscopic barium indate films, a capping layer of amorphous SiO 2 was deposited prior to air exposure. The structural quality of the films was assessed by x-ray diffraction, reflective high-energy electron diffraction, and scanning transmission electron microscopy
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