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STEM-EELS imaging of complex oxides and interfaces

  • Spectroscopic imaging in electron microscopy
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Abstract

The success of the correction of spherical aberration in the electron microscope has revolutionized our view of oxides. This is a very important class of materials that is promising for future applications of some of the most intriguing phenomena in condensed matter physics: colossal magnetoresistance, colossal ionic conductivity, high Tc superconductivity, and ferroelectricity. Understanding the physics underlying such phenomena, especially in low dimensional systems (thin films, interfaces, nanowires, nanoparticles), relies on the availability of techniques capable of looking at these systems in real space and with atomic resolution and even beyond, with single atom sensitivity; in many cases, the system properties depend on minuscule amounts of point defects that alter the material’s properties dramatically. Atomic resolution spectroscopy in the aberration-corrected electron microscope is one of the most powerful techniques available to materials scientists today. This article will briefly review some state-of-the-art applications to oxide materials: from atomic resolution elemental mapping and single atom imaging to applications to real systems, including oxide interfaces and mapping of physical properties such as the spin state of magnetic atoms.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support from the Materials Sciences and Engineering Division of the U.S. Department of Energy (MV, SJP) and the European Research Council Starting Investigator Award (JG). The authors are also grateful to all the collaborators that made this work possible, among others: Les Allen and his research group, Mike Biegalski, Hans Christen, Chris Leighton and his research group, Ondrej Krivanek and the crew at Nion Co., Julia Luck, Weidong Luo, Andy Lupini, David Mandrus, Mark Oxley, Sokrates Pantelides, Tim Pennycook, Jacobo Santamaria and his research group, Bill Sides, Jing Tao, and Masashi Watanabe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States

    Maria Varela & Stephen J. Pennycook

  2. Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, Spain

    Jaume Gazquez

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  1. Maria Varela
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Correspondence to Maria Varela.

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Varela, M., Gazquez, J. & Pennycook, S.J. STEM-EELS imaging of complex oxides and interfaces. MRS Bulletin 37, 29–35 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.330

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