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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2020
The ability of high resolution STEM instruments to provide EELS data at the ultimate atomic resolution offers significant new insights into interfacial phenomena. Not only can composition profiles now be collected plane-by-plane across an interface, but in addition, the EELS near edge fine structure can be analysed to determine the valence states of atoms at the interface, and hence the nature of the bonding across the interface plane. by applying the spatial difference technique, these effects can be studied quantitatively with high sensitivity.
Atomic resolution EELS played a critical role in explaining a completely unexpected interfacial structure found recently at CdTe/Si interfaces grown by a particular molecular beam epitaxy growth procedure. The high resolution Z-contrast image in Fig. 1 shows the CdTe film to be terminated by Te, but in addition, for several monolayers into the Si substrate, occasional columns show brighter than the surrounding Si, although remaining in the correct position.