Direct Imaging of the Atomic Structure and Chemistry of Defects and Interfaces by Z-Contrast Stem

Abstract

AbstractZ-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a fundamentally new approach to high-resolution imaging which provides unambiguous, compositionally sensitive images on the atomic scale. Such images are intuitively interpretable, even in thick regions of the sample, tremendously simplifying determination of the structure and chemistry of defects and interfaces. To illustrate this, examples are presented of commonly observed planar defects in laser-ablated thin films of YBa2Cu3O7-x. Film/substrate interfaces are shown to be chemically diffuse on the atomic scale and steps or undulations in the substrate need not result in defects in the film. Low-angle grain boundaries are found to be chemically clean, the drastic reductions in critical currents with tilt angle being due to the array of intrinsic structural defects comprising the boundary.