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Measuring Electrostatic Potential Profiles across Amorphous Intergranular Films by Electron Diffraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2005

Christoph T. Koch ,
Somnath Bhattacharyya ,
Manfred Rühle ,
Raphaëlle L. Satet  and
Michael J. Hoffmann
Christoph T. Koch
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstr. 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Somnath Bhattacharyya
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstr. 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Manfred Rühle
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstr. 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Raphaëlle L. Satet
Affiliation:
Universität Karlsruhe, Institut für Keramic im Maschinenbau-Zentrallaboratorium, D-73131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Michael J. Hoffmann
Affiliation:
Universität Karlsruhe, Institut für Keramic im Maschinenbau-Zentrallaboratorium, D-73131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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Abstract

Amorphous 1–2-nm-wide intergranular films in ceramics dictate many of their properties. The detailed investigation of structure and chemistry of these films pushes the limits of today's transmission electron microscopy. We report on the reconstruction of the one-dimensional potential profile across the film from an experimentally acquired tilt series of energy-filtered electron diffraction patterns. Along with the potential profile, the specimen thickness, film orientation with respect to the grain lattice and specimen surface, and the absolute specimen orientation with respect to the laboratory frame of reference are retrieved.

Keywords

energy-filtered electron diffractionintergranular amorphous filmsceramicsphase problemthermal diffuse scatteringelectrostatic potentialone-dimensional potential profile
Type
MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUES
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 160 - 169
Copyright
© 2006 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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