Reflection electron microscopy of ferroelectric domains

Author(s):  
Feng Tsai ◽  
J. M. Cowley

The intersections of ferroelectric domain boundaries with crystal surfaces have been studied by optical microscopy. The method is widely used but usually of low resolution. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can provide high-resolution images but may not be appropriate for studying crystal surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has also been used to study the intersections of ferroelectric domain boundaries with the surfaces of ferroelectric crystals. However, the resolution is still low and is destructive if an etched crystal surface is used. Other alternatives have also been attempted to study ferroelectric domain boundaries on surfaces, such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM). But, no reports have been known so far.On the other hand, reflection electron microscopy (REM), as a branch of dark-field imaging technique dedicated for surface studies in TEM, has been developed to study crystal surfaces, surface reconstruction and surface defects with a resolution of about 10Å. It has been considered as a powerful technique to study surface defects and may be used to study the ferroelectric domain boundaries emerging on surfaces.

Author(s):  
Feng Tsai ◽  
J. M. Cowley

Reflection electron microscopy (REM) has been used to study surface defects such as surface steps, dislocations emerging on crystal surfaces, and surface reconstructions. However, only a few REM studies have been reported about the planar defects emerging on surfaces. The interaction of planar defects with surfaces may be of considerable practical importance but so far there seems to be only one relatively simple theoretical treatment of the REM contrast and very little experimental evidence to support its predications. Recently, intersections of both 90° and 180° ferroelectric domain boundaries with BaTiO3 crystal surfaces have been investigated by Tsai and Cowley with REM.The REM observations of several planar defects, such as stacking faults and domain boundaries have been continued by the present authors. All REM observations are performed on a JEM-2000FX transmission electron microscope. The sample preparations may be seen somewhere else. In REM, the incident electron beam strikes the surface of a crystal with a small glancing angle.


Author(s):  
Feng Tsal

The earlier work of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) on ferroelectric domains have been concentrated on the studies of domain configurations and contrast theory, Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) is also used to study ferroelectric material surfaces and has revealed various domain boundaries on the chemical-etched surface of BaTiO3. However, the method is destructive and largely dependent on the etching technique. Reflection electron microscopy (REM) has recently been developed to study crystal surfaces, especially the surface defects such as surface steps and emerging dislocations. This paper presents the observation of 90° domain boundaries in BaTiO3 single crystal with REM and concentrates on the contrast of 90° domain boundaries.


1992 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1187-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Schilling ◽  
B. Tesche ◽  
G. Lehmpfuhl

Abstract Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of Au(100) was performed in air with a NanoScope II. Regions of 150 x 150 nm with atomatically flat areas fragmented by atomic steps were observed. The reconstructed (100) surface, deformed to a twisted hexagon with an interatomic distance of 0.27 μ ± 0.02 nm, could be seen and a corrugation of about 0.05 nm depth was measured. These results are in good agreement with Reflection Electron Microscopy measurements and STM investigations in UHV.


Author(s):  
P. E. Højlund Nielsen ◽  
J. M. Cowley

Reflection electron microscopy was widely used before 1960 for the study of surfaces. For the imaging diffuse scattered electrons was applied. For avoiding a severe foreshortening the surface was illuminated and viewed at fairly large angles. That resulted in a large energy spread of the scattered electrons so the resolution was limited to about 500Å due to chromatic aberration. Since such a resolution could be achieved more readily in scanning microscopes, the method was abandoned. However for single crystal surfaces the situation is entirely different. If the surface can be maintained reasonably clean, strong diffraction spots can be obtained and the energy spread in the diffracted beam is usually small; thus the imaging of the surface can be performed in a manner similar to the dark field imaging of a thin crystalline specimen.


Author(s):  
G. G. Hembree ◽  
M. A. Otooni ◽  
J. M. Cowley

The formation of oxide structures on single crystal films of metals has been investigated using the REMEDIE system (for Reflection Electron Microscopy and Electron Diffraction at Intermediate Energies) (1). Using this instrument scanning images can be obtained with a 5 to 15keV incident electron beam by collecting either secondary or diffracted electrons from the crystal surface (2). It is particularly suited to studies of the present sort where the surface reactions are strongly related to surface morphology and crystal defects and the growth of reaction products is inhomogeneous and not adequately described in terms of a single parameter. Observation of the samples has also been made by reflection electron diffraction, reflection electron microscopy and replication techniques in a JEM-100B electron microscope.A thin single crystal film of copper, epitaxially grown on NaCl of (100) orientation, was repositioned on a large copper single crystal of (111) orientation.


Author(s):  
J.C.H. Spence ◽  
J. Mayer

The Zeiss 912 is a new fully digital, side-entry, 120 Kv TEM/STEM instrument for materials science, fitted with an omega magnetic imaging energy filter. Pumping is by turbopump and ion pump. The magnetic imaging filter allows energy-filtered images or diffraction patterns to be recorded without scanning using efficient parallel (area) detection. The energy loss intensity distribution may also be displayed on the screen, and recorded by scanning it over the PMT supplied. If a CCD camera is fitted and suitable new software developed, “parallel ELS” recording results. For large fields of view, filtered images can be recorded much more efficiently than by Scanning Reflection Electron Microscopy, and the large background of inelastic scattering removed. We have therefore evaluated the 912 for REM and RHEED applications. Causes of streaking and resonance in RHEED patterns are being studied, and a more quantitative analysis of CBRED patterns may be possible. Dark field band-gap REM imaging of surface states may also be possible.


Author(s):  
Z.L. Wang ◽  
J. Bentley ◽  
R.E. Clausing ◽  
L. Heatherly ◽  
L.L. Horton

It has been found that the abrasion of diamond-on-diamond depends on the crystal orientation. For a {100} face, the friction coefficient for sliding along <011> is much higher than that along <001>. For a {111} face, the abrasion along <11> is different from that in the reverse direction <>. To interpret these effects, a microcleavage mechanism was proposed in which the {100} and {111} surfaces were assumed to be composed of square-based pyramids and trigonal protrusions, respectively. Reflection electron microscopy (REM) has been applied to image the microstructures of these diamond surfaces.{111} surfaces of synthetic diamond:The synthetic diamonds used in this study were obtained from the De Beers Company. They are in the as-grown condition with grain sizes of 0.5-1 mm without chemical treatment or mechanical polishing. By selecting a strong reflected beam in the reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern, the dark-field REM image of the surface is formed (Fig. 1).


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