Interpreting atomic-resolution spectroscopic images
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States)
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia)
Core-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy is a powerful experimental tool with the potential to provide atomic-resolution information about electronic structure at defects and interfaces in materials and nanostructures. Interpretation, however, is nonintuitive. Comparison of experimental and simulated compositional maps in LaMnO{sub 3} shows good agreement, apart from an overall scaling of image contrast, and shows that the shape and width of spectroscopic images do not show a simple variation with binding energy, as commonly assumed, or with the size of the orbital excited. For the low lying La N{sub 4,5} edge with threshold at around 99 eV, delocalization does not preclude atomic resolution, but reduces the image contrast. The image width remains comparable to that of the much higher lying O K edge with threshold at around 532 eV. Both edges show a volcanolike feature, a dip at the column position not previously seen experimentally. In the case of the O K edge, this represents an experimental verification of nonlocal inelastic scattering effects in electron energy loss spectroscopy imaging. In the case of the N{sub 4,5} edge, the volcanolike feature is due to dynamical channeling and absorption of the probe through the specimen thickness. Simulation is therefore critical to the interpretation of atomic-resolution elemental maps.
- OSTI ID:
- 21055116
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 76; ISSN 1098-0121
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION
BINDING ENERGY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEFECTS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ELECTRONS
ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY
EV RANGE
IMAGES
INELASTIC SCATTERING
INTERFACES
LANTHANUM COMPOUNDS
MANGANATES
NANOSTRUCTURES
RESOLUTION
SIMULATION
THICKNESS