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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: May 28, 2016
Atomic scale characterization of point and extended defects in niobate thin films
Changjian Li1, Dongsheng Song2, Mengsha Li1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117575 Singapore.
Abstract:
Niobium-based oxides have a wide range of applications owing to their rich crystal and electronic structures. Defects at the atomic scale are always unavoidable and will affect their functionalities, especially when in the form of thin films. Here, atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy have been performed on various defects (point, line, planar defects and segregated phases) in alkaline and alkaline-earth niobate thin films: CaZrO3 modified (K, Na)NbO3 and strontium niobate (SNO), respectively. In CaZrO3 modified (K,Na)NbO3 thin films, a tetragonal tungsten bronze phase was found, with a sharp boundary with the perovskite phase. In SNO thin films, several kinds of point defects and antiphase boundaries are commonly observed. In addition, a strongly Sr deficient phase, SrNb2O6, precipitates inside the SrNbO3 phase with a coherent interface. The different oxidation states of Nb in SrNbO3 and SrNb2O6 were revealed from the O K edge. Our characterization of the point defects and extended defects in niobate thin films offers practical guidelines for thin film deposition or discovery of defect-based novel functionalities.
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