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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Atomically Defined Templates for Epitaxial Growth of Complex Oxide Thin Films
Published on: December 4, 2014
The Origin of the Superstructure in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+dgr as Revealed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Abstract:
Real-space images with atomic resolution of the BiO plane of Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) were obtained with a scanning tunneling microscope. Single-crystal samples were cleaved and imaged under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at room temperature. The images clearly show the one-dimensional incommensurate superstructure along the b-axis that is common to this phase. High-resolution images show the position of the Bi atoms, revealing the structural nature of the superlattice. A missing row of Bi atoms occurs either every nine or ten atomic sites in both (110) directions, accounting for the measured incommensurate periodicity of the superstructure. A model is proposed that includes missing rows of atoms, as well as displacements of the atomic positions along both the a- and c-axis directions.
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