Quantitative Atomic-Site Analysis of Functional Dopants/Point Defects in Crystalline Materials by...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Conventional elemental and chemical analysis methods face limitations with small sample sizes and elements with similar scattering factors.
• Accurate determination of site occupancy and site-specific chemical information is crucial for advanced materials development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel elemental and chemical analysis scheme utilizing electron-channeling phenomena.
• To demonstrate the capability of quantitatively deriving site occupancies and site-dependent chemical information.
• To present a methodological article detailing the experimental procedure and analysis of beam-rocking microanalysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing electron-channeling phenomena in crystalline materials with a rocking incident high-energy electron beam.
• Employing energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) on a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM).
• Fixing a sub-micrometric pivot point on the specimen for precise beam control.

Main Results:

• Quantitative derivation of site occupancies for impurities or doped elements.
• Acquisition of site-dependent chemical information within crystalline specimens.
• Demonstration of applicability to element combinations challenging for conventional methods like Rietveld analysis.

Conclusions:

• The novel beam-rocking microanalysis scheme provides a robust method for elemental and chemical analysis in materials science.
• This technique overcomes limitations of traditional methods, particularly for nanotechnologies and complex material compositions.
• The study establishes a foundation for applying this advanced microanalysis technique in diverse research areas.