976 research outputs found
Atomic resolution mapping of phonon excitations in STEM-EELS experiments
Atomically resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy experiments are
commonplace in modern aberrationcorrected transmission electron microscopes.
Energy resolution has also been increasing steadily with the continuous
improvement of electron monochromators. Electronic excitations however are
known to be delocalised due to the long range interaction of the charged
accelerated electrons with the electrons in a sample. This has made several
scientists question the value of combined high spatial and energy resolution
for mapping interband transitions and possibly phonon excitation in crystals.
In this paper we demonstrate experimentally that atomic resolution information
is indeed available at very low energy losses around 100 meV expressed as a
modulation of the broadening of the zero loss peak. Careful data analysis
allows us to get a glimpse of what are likely phonon excitations with both an
energy loss and gain part. These experiments confirm recent theoretical
predictions on the strong localisation of phonon excitations as opposed to
electronic excitations and show that a combination of atomic resolution and
recent developments in increased energy resolution will offer great benefit for
mapping phonon modes in real space
Magnetic monopole field exposed by electrons
Magnetic monopoles have provided a rich field of study, leading to a wide
area of research in particle physics, solid state physics, ultra-cold gases,
superconductors, cosmology, and gauge theory. So far, no true magnetic
monopoles were found experimentally. Using the Aharonov-Bohm effect, one of the
central results of quantum physics, shows however, that an effective monopole
field can be produced. Understanding the effects of such a monopole field on
its surroundings is crucial to its observation and provides a better grasp of
fundamental physical theory. We realize the diffraction of fast electrons at a
magnetic monopole field generated by a nanoscopic magnetized ferromagnetic
needle. Previous studies have been limited to theoretical semiclassical optical
calculations of the motion of electrons in such a monopole field. Solid state
systems like the recently studied 'spin ice' provide a constrained system to
study similar fields, but make it impossible to separate the monopole from the
material. Free space diffraction helps to understand the dynamics of the
electron-monopole system without the complexity of a solid state system. The
use of a simple object such as a magnetized needle will allow various areas of
physics to use the general dynamical effects of monopole fields without
requiring a monopole particle or specific solids which have internal
monopole-like properties. The experiment performed here shows that even without
a true magnetic monopole particle, the theoretical background on monopoles
serves as a basis for experiments and can be applied to efficiently create
electron vortices. Various predictions about angular momentum and general field
effects can readily be studied using the available equipment. This realization
provides insights for the scientific community on how to detect magnetic
monopoles in high energy collisions, cosmological processes, or novel
materials.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures + 7 pages of supplementary information, 8 figure
Strain accommodation through facet matching in LaSrCuO/NdCeCuO ramp-edge junctions
Scanning nano-focused X-ray diffraction (nXRD) and high-angle annular
dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) are used to
investigate the crystal structure of ramp-edge junctions between
superconducting electron-doped NdCeCuO
and superconducting hole-doped LaSrCuO
thin films, the latter being the top layer. On the ramp, a new growth mode of
LaSrCuO with a 3.3 degree tilt of the
c-axis is found. We explain the tilt by developing a strain accommodation model
that relies on facet matching, dictated by the ramp angle, indicating that a
coherent domain boundary is formed at the interface. The possible implications
of this growth mode for the creation of artificial domains in morphotropic
materials are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures & 3 pages supplemental information with 2 figures.
Copyright (2015) American Institute of Physics. This article may be
downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of
the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article
appeared in APL Mat. 3, 086101 (2015) and may be found at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.492779
Electronically coupled complementary interfaces between perovskite band insulators
Perovskite oxides exhibit a plethora of exceptional electronic properties,
providing the basis for novel concepts of oxide-electronic devices. The
interest in these materials is even extended by the remarkable characteristics
of their interfaces. Studies on single epitaxial connections between the two
wide-bandgap insulators LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 have revealed them to be either
high-mobility electron conductors or insulating, depending on the atomic
stacking sequences. In the latter case they are conceivably positively charged.
For device applications, as well as for basic understanding of the interface
conduction mechanism, it is important to investigate the electronic coupling of
closely-spaced complementary interfaces. Here we report the successful
realization of such electronically coupled complementary interfaces in SrTiO3 -
LaAlO3 thin film multilayer structures, in which the atomic stacking sequence
at the interfaces was confirmed by quantitative transmission electron
microscopy. We found a critical separation distance of 6 perovskite unit cell
layers, corresponding to approximately 2.3 nm, below which a decrease of the
interface conductivity and carrier density occurs. Interestingly, the high
carrier mobilities characterizing the separate electron doped interfaces are
found to be maintained in coupled structures down to sub-nanometer interface
spacing
Characterisation of multilayer ramp-type ReBa2Cu3O7-delta structures by scanning probe microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy
We studied the morphology of ramps in REBa2Cu3O7 (REBCO) epitaxial films on SrTiO3 substrates, fabricated by RF magnetron sputter deposition and pulsed laser deposition (PLD), by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The ramps were fabricated by Ar ion beam etching using masks of standard photoresist and TiN. AFM-studies on ramps in sputter deposited films show a strong dependence, i.e. formation of facets and ridges, on the angle of incidence of the ion beam with respect to the substrate surface as well as the rotation angle with respect to the crystal axes of the substrate. Ramps in pulsed laser deposited films did not show this dependence. Furthermore, we studied the effect of an anneal step prior to the deposition of barrier layers (i.e. PrBu2CU3O7, SrTiO3, CeO2) on the ramp. First results show a recrystallization of the ramp surface, resulting in terraces and a non-homogeneous growth of the barrier material on top of it. The thickness variations, for thin layers of barrier material, can even become much larger than expected from the amount of deposited material and are dependent on the deposition and anneal conditions. HREM studies show a well defined interface between barrier layer and electrodes. The angle of the ramp depends on the etch rate of the mask and REBCO, and on the angle of incidence of the ion beam. TiN has a much lower etch rate compared to photoresist, resulting in an angle of the ramp comparable to the angle of incidence, resulting in a low etching rate on the ramp. These results will lead to improved electrical characteristics of ramp-type junctions
Room temperature (2a x 2b) superstructure formed in Sr-substituted Bi2 (Sr1.6Y0.4)CaCu2Oy single crystals
Transport, magnetic, and structural properties of LaCeMnO thin films. Evidence for hole-doping
Cerium-doped manganite thin films were grown epitaxially by pulsed laser
deposition at C and oxygen pressure Pa and were
subjected to different annealing steps. According to x-ray diffraction (XRD)
data, the formation of CeO as a secondary phase could be avoided for
Pa. However, transmission electron microscopy shows the presence
of CeO nanoclusters, even in those films which appear to be single phase in
XRD. With O annealing, the metal-to-insulator transition temperature
increases, while the saturation magnetization decreases and stays well below
the theoretical value for electron-doped LaCeMnO with mixed
Mn/Mn valences. The same trend is observed with decreasing film
thickness from 100 to 20 nm, indicating a higher oxygen content for thinner
films. Hall measurements on a film which shows a metal-to-insulator transition
clearly reveal holes as dominating charge carriers. Combining data from x-ray
photoemission spectroscopy, for determination of the oxygen content, and x-ray
absorption spectroscopy (XAS), for determination of the hole concentration and
cation valences, we find that with increasing oxygen content the hole
concentration increases and Mn valences are shifted from 2+ to 4+. The
dominating Mn valences in the films are Mn and Mn, and only a
small amount of Mn ions can be observed by XAS. Mn and Ce
XAS signals obtained in surface-sensitive total electron yield mode are
strongly reduced in the bulk-sensitive fluorescence mode, which indicates
hole-doping in the bulk for those films which do show a metal-to-insulator
transition.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
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