Measurement of atomic modulation direction using the azimuthal variation of first-order Laue zone electron diffraction

Silinga, A., Allen, C. S., Barthel, J., Ophus, C. and MacLaren, I. (2023) Measurement of atomic modulation direction using the azimuthal variation of first-order Laue zone electron diffraction. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 29(5), pp. 1682-1687. (doi: 10.1093/micmic/ozad089) (PMID:37639214)

Abstract

We show that diffraction intensity into the first-order Laue zone (FOLZ) of a crystal can have a strong azimuthal dependence, where this FOLZ ring appears solely because of unidirectional atom position modulation. Such a modulation was already known to cause the appearance of elliptical columns in atom-resolution images, but we show that measurement of the angle via four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4DSTEM) is far more reliable and allows the measurement of the modulation direction with a precision of about 1° and an accuracy of about 3°. This method could be very powerful in characterizing atomic structures in three dimensions by 4DSTEM, especially in cases where the structure is found only in nanoscale regions or crystals.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Silinga, Mr Aurys and MacLaren, Dr Ian
• Authors: Silinga, A., Allen, C. S., Barthel, J., Ophus, C., and MacLaren, I.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Microscopy and Microanalysis
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 1431-9276
• ISSN (Online): 1435-8115
• Published Online: 28 August 2023