N. D. Browning

High temperature ferromagnetism with a giant magnetic moment in transparent co-doped SnO(2-delta).

The occurrence of room temperature ferromagnetism is demonstrated in pulsed laser deposited thin films of Sn(1-x)Co(x)O(2-delta) (x<0.3). Interestingly, films of Sn(0.95)Co(0.05)O(2-delta) grown on R-plane sapphire not only exhibit ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature close to 650 K, but also a giant magnetic moment of 7.5+/-0.5 micro(B)/Co, not yet reported in any diluted magnetic semiconductor system. The films are semiconducting and optically highly transparent.

Direct observation of the core structures of threading dislocations in GaN

Here we present the first direct observation of the atomic structure of threading dislocation cores in hexagonal GaN. Using atomic-resolution Z-contrast imaging, dislocations with edge character are found to exhibit an eight-fold ring core. The central column in the core of a pure edge dislocation has the same configuration as one row of dimers on the {10-10} surface. Following recent theoretical work, it is proposed that edge dislocations do not have deep defect states in the band gap, and do not contribute to cathodoluminescence dislocation contrast. On the other hand, both mixed and pure screw dislocations are found to have a full core, and full screw dislocation cores were calculated to have states in the gap.

The atomic origins of reduced critical currents at [001] tilt grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films

Abstract Grain boundaries have long been known to have a deleterious and irreproducible effect on the transport properties of high- T c oxide superconductors, particularly in the high-angle regime where an exponential decrease in critical current has been reported. We demonstrate, through a combination of atomic resolution Z-contrast imaging and bond valence sum analysis, that it is the atomic structure of the grain boundary that dominates this behavior. [001] tilt grain boundaries in thin-film YBa 2 Cu 3 0 7− δ are composed of arrays of dislocations in defined sequences. The resulting strain fields seriously perturb the local electronic structure, leading to a non-superconducting zone at the grain boundary. The width of this zone increases linearly with misorientation angle, naturally explaining the observed exponential decrease in critical current. In addition, the widely varying J c measurements for a given grain boundary misorientation can be naturally explained by the facetting of the grain boundary plane.

Atomic scale characterization of oxygen vacancy segregation at SrTiO3 grain boundaries

We have examined the atomic structure, composition, and bonding at a nominally undoped 58° [001] tilt grain boundary in SrTiO3 in order to develop an understanding of the control that the grain boundary plane exerts over the bulk properties. Room temperature and in situ heating experiments show that there is a segregation of oxygen vacancies to the grain boundary that is increased at elevated temperatures and is independent of the cation arrangement. These measurements provide direct support for recent experimental and theoretical predictions that nonstoichiometry, and in particular oxygen vacancies, are responsible for the widely observed grain boundary properties.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of aluminum oxide on Si: Evidence of interface SiO2 formation

Thin films of aluminum oxide were deposited on H-passivated Si(100) substrate using trimethylaluminum and oxygen at 0.5 Torr and 300 °C. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses of these films showed no aluminum silicate phase at the film–substrate interface. The O/Al ratio in the deposited film was found to be higher than that in stoichiometric Al2O3. On annealing the as-deposited samples in Ar at 900 °C, an absorption peak due to the transverse optical phonon for the Si–O–Si stretching mode appeared in the FTIR spectra. A combination of Z-contrast imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy in the scanning transmission electron microscope confirmed that the annealed samples developed a layer of silicon dioxide at the aluminum oxide–Si interface. Our results suggest that excess oxygen present in the deposited film reacts with the underlying Si substrate and forms silicon oxide.

The influence of atomic structure on the formation of electrical barriers at grain boundaries in SrTiO3

An experimental atomic resolution analysis of an undoped Σ5 36° [001] tilt grain boundary in SrTiO3 shows that the structure contains incomplete oxygen octahedra. These incomplete octahedra act as effective oxygen vacancies and lead to a fixed, positive boundary charge. Annealing the boundary in the presence of MnO2 does not change the atomic structure of the boundary plane, and results in a high concentration of Mn3+ (acceptor) enrichment at the specific Ti4+ locations in closest proximity to the effective oxygen vacancies. This result can be explained in terms of standard charge compensation models and indicates that the formation of electrical barriers at oxide grain boundaries may be influenced by the atomic structure of the boundary plane.

Atomic Column Resolved Electron Energy‐Loss Spectroscopy

Spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is rapidly developing into a unique and powerful tool to characterize internal interfaces. Because atomic column resolved Z-contrast imaging can be performed simultaneously with EELS in the scanning transmission electron microscope, this combination allows the atomic structure to be correlated with the electronic structure, and thus the local properties of interfaces or defects can be determined directly. However, the ability to characterize interfaces and defects at that level requires not only high spatial resolution but also the exact knowledge of the beam location, from where the spectrum is obtained. Here we discuss several examples progressing from cases where the limitation in spatial resolution is given by the microscopes or the nature of the sample, to one example of impurity atoms at a grain boundary, which show intensity and fine structure changes from atomic column to atomic column. Such data can be interpreted as changes in valence of the impurity, depending on its exact site in the boundary plane. Analysis of this nature is a valuable first step in understanding the macroscopic structural, optical and electronic properties of materials.

Direct observation of nanometer-scale Mg- and B-oxide phases at grain boundaries in MgB2

Here we describe the results of an atomic resolution study of the structure and composition of both the interior of the grains, and the grain boundaries in polycrystalline MgB2. We find that there is no oxygen within the bulk of the grains but significant oxygen enrichment at the grain boundaries. The majority of grain boundaries contain BOx phases smaller than the coherence length, while others contain larger areas of MgO sandwiched between BOx layers. Such results naturally explain the differences in connectivity between the grains observed by other techniques.

Observation of oxygen vacancy ordering and segregation in Perovskite oxides

Oxygen vacancies are known to dominate the overall electrical behavior of perovskite oxides, which are used in many applications. Although theories have been developed to explain the effect of these vacancies and the defect chemistry of perovskites, there has yet to be incontrovertible evidence of the fundamental origins of the structure-property relationship. However, recently developed technologies in scanning transmission electron microscopy, such as Z-contrast imaging and EELS combined with in-situ heating experiments, provide a new opportunity to address vacancy characteristics and defect chemistry on the basic atomic level. In this paper we discuss the practical aspects of these techniques and demonstrate their application to the characterization of defect chemistry and vacancies in ordered micro-domains, at domain boundaries and at grain boundaries.

Investigation of the evolution of single domain (111)B CdTe films by molecular beam epitaxy on miscut (001)Si substrate

A comprehensive view of the microstructure of (111)B CdTe films grown on miscut (001)Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy has been obtained by transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. It is found that in the initial growth stage, CdTe nucleates with a dominance of one particular domain: a domain with (111)B polarity and orientation of [11−2]CdTe//[1−10]Si, although there are also some other domains of different polarity and orientation. The dominance of one type domain is due to the reduction of the surface symmetry by using the miscut substrate and by using optimum growth conditions. As the growth proceeds, a single-crystal film is produced by the dominating domain overgrowing the minority domains nucleated at the film–substrate interface. This results in the final film of single-crystal character having (111)B polarity with [11−2]CdTe along [1−10]Si.