1. Evolution of nanostructures of anatase TiO2 thin films grown on (001) LaAlO3
- Author
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Carmela Aruta, Giorgio Rossi, Umberto Scotti di Uccio, Annabella Selloni, Fabio Miletto Granozio, Regina Ciancio, Elvio Carlino, Riccardo Arpaia, Andrea Vittadini, Regina, Ciancio, Andrea, Vittadini, Annabella, Selloni, Riccardo, Arpaia, Carmela, Aruta, Fabio Miletto, Granozio, SCOTTI DI UCCIO, Umberto, Giorgio, Rossi, and Elvio, Carlino
- Subjects
Crystallographic shears ,Anatase ,Defects and impurities ,02 engineering and technology ,Substrate (electronics) ,01 natural sciences ,Scanning transmission electron microscopy ,Interfaces (materials) ,Chemical analysis ,General Materials Science ,High-angle annular dark fields ,diffusion ,article ,particle size ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Thin-film structure ,priority journal ,Electron diffraction ,Local density approximation ,Chemical physics ,Transmission electron microscopy ,Modeling and Simulation ,scanning transmission electron microscopy ,0210 nano-technology ,crystal structure ,lanthanum ,Materials science ,X ray diffraction ,Segregation (metallography) ,Bioengineering ,film ,Lanthanum alloys ,transmission electron microscopy ,0103 physical sciences ,Gradient and other corrections ,Thin film ,010306 general physics ,High-resolution transmission electron microscopy ,ab initio calculation ,titanium dioxide ,General Chemistry ,Dark field microscopy ,molecular dynamics ,thickness ,nanofilm ,Crystallography ,Two-dimensional growth ,phase transition ,aluminum ,Density functional theory ,Film growth ,Film/substrate interface ,Ab initio calculations - Abstract
Combining reflection high-energy electron diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy we unveil the existence of a peculiar transition from a three-dimensional to a two-dimensional growth mode in anatase TiO2/LaAlO3 heterostructures. Such a growth dynamics is accompanied by Al interdiffusion from substrate to the growing film up to a critical thickness of 20 nm. With the extra support of ab initio calculations, we show that the crossover between the two growth modes corresponds to the formation of two distinct regions characterized by (103)- and (101)-oriented crystallographic shear superstructures, occurring in the upmost film region and in proximity of the film/substrate interface, respectively. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
- Published
- 2013
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