Imaging the Phase Separation in Atomically Thin Buried SrTiO3 Layers by Electron Channeling

L. Fitting Kourkoutis, C. Stephen Hellberg, V. Vaithyanathan, Hao Li, M. K. Parker, K. E. Andersen, D. G. Schlom, and D. A. Muller
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 036101 – Published 23 January 2008; Erratum Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 049901 (2008)
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Abstract

A phase-separation instability, resulting in the dewetting of thin SrTiO3 films grown on Si(100) is shown by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Plan-view imaging of 1-nm thick, buried SrTiO3 films was achieved by exploiting electron channeling through the substrate to focus the incident 0.2 nm beam down to a 0.04 nm diameter, revealing a nonuniform coverage by epitaxial SrTiO3 islands and 2×1 Sr-covered regions. Density-functional calculations predict the ground state is a coexistence of 2×1 Sr-reconstructed Si and Sr-deficient SrTiO3, in correspondence with the observed islanding.

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  • Received 19 September 2007
  • Corrected 23 January 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.036101

©2008 American Physical Society

Corrections

23 January 2008

Erratum

Publisher’s Note: Imaging the Phase Separation in Atomically Thin Buried SrTiO3 Layers by Electron Channeling [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 036101 (2008)]

L. Fitting Kourkoutis, C. Stephen Hellberg, V. Vaithyanathan, Hao Li, M. K. Parker, K. E. Andersen, D. G. Schlom, and D. A. Muller
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 049901 (2008)

Authors & Affiliations

L. Fitting Kourkoutis1, C. Stephen Hellberg2, V. Vaithyanathan3, Hao Li4, M. K. Parker1, K. E. Andersen2, D. G. Schlom3, and D. A. Muller1

  • 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
  • 2Center for Computational Materials Science, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, USA
  • 3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-5055, USA
  • 4Physical and Digital Realization Research, Motorola Inc., 2100 E. Elliot Road, Tempe, Arizona 85284, USA

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Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 3 — 25 January 2008

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