Patterning Oxide Nanopillars at the Atomic Scale by Phase Transformation

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• 作者：Chunlin Chen ; Zhongchang Wang ; Frank Lichtenberg ; Yuichi Ikuhara ; Johannes Georg Bednorz
• 刊名：Nano Letters
• 出版年：2015
• 出版时间：October 14, 2015
• 年：2015
• 卷：15
• 期：10
• 页码：6469-6474
• 全文大小：643K
• ISSN：1530-6992

文摘

Phase transformations in crystalline materials are common in nature and often modify dramatically properties of materials. The ability to precisely control them with a high spatial precision represents a significant step forward in realizing new functionalities in confined dimensions. However, such control is extremely challenging particularly at the atomic scale due to the intricacies in governing thermodynamic conditions with a high spatial accuracy. Here, we apply focused electron beam of a scanning transmission electron microscope to irradiate SrNbO_3.4 crystals and demonstrate a precise control of a phase transformation from layered SrNbO_3.4 to perovskite SrNbO₃ at the atomic scale. By purposely squeezing O atoms out of the vertex-sharing NbO₆ octahedral slabs, their neighboring slabs zip together, resulting in a patterning of SrNbO₃ nanopillars in SrNbO_3.4 matrix. Such phase transformations can be spatially manipulated with an atomic precision, opening up a novel avenue for materials design and processing and also for advanced nanodevice fabrication.