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Recent studies of oxide-semiconductor heterostructures using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

David J. Smith*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA
HsinWei Wu
Affiliation:
School of Engineering for Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-6106, USA
Sirong Lu
Affiliation:
School of Engineering for Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-6106, USA
Toshihiro Aoki
Affiliation:
LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1704, USA
Patrick Ponath
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Kurt Fredrickson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Martin D. McDaniel
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Edward Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Agham B. Posadas
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Alexander A. Demkov
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
John Ekerdt
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Martha R. McCartney
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: david.smith@asu.edu
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Abstract

The integration of dissimilar materials is highly desirable for many different types of device applications but often challenging to achieve in practice. The unrivalled imaging capabilities of the aberration-corrected electron microscope enable enhanced insights to be gained into the atomic arrangements across heterostructured interfaces. This paper provides an overview of our recent observations of oxide-semiconductor heterostructures using aberration-corrected high-angle annular-dark-field and large-angle bright-field imaging modes. The perovskite oxides studied include strontium titanate, barium titanate, and strontium hafnate, which were grown on Si(001) and/or Ge(001) substrates using the techniques of molecular-beam epitaxy or atomic-layer deposition. The oxide layers displayed excellent crystallinity and sharp, abrupt interfaces were observed with no sign of any amorphous interfacial layers. The Ge(001) substrate surfaces invariably showed both 1× and 2× periodicity consistent with preservation of the 2 × 1 surface reconstruction following oxide growth. Overall, the results augur well for the future development of functional oxide-based devices integrated on semiconductor substrates.

Type
Invited Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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Footnotes

Contributing Editor: Thomas Walther

References

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