Direct imaging of light elements by annular dark-field aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

Journal Article · Mon Feb 17 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4866185· OSTI ID:22283113

Lotnyk, Andriy; Poppitz, David; Gerlach, Jürgen W.; Rauschenbach, Bernd ^[1]

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1. Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany)

In this report, we show that an annular dark-field detector in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope allows the direct observation of light element columns in crystalline lattices. At specific imaging conditions, an enhancement of the intensities of light element columns in the presence of heavy element columns is observed. Experimental results are presented for imaging the nitrogen and carbon atomic columns at the GaN-SiC interface and within the GaN and SiC compounds. The crystal polarity of GaN at the interface is identified. The obtained findings are discussed and are well supported by image simulations.

• OSTI ID: 22283113
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CARBON
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CRYSTALS
GALLIUM NITRIDES
IMAGES
INTERFACES
NITROGEN
SILICON CARBIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY