Evidence for B1-cubic SiNx by Aberration-Corrected Analytical STEM

• The crystal structure of epitaxially stabilized SiNx layers on TiN(001) was investigated by analytical aberration corrected electron microscopy. Atomically resolved images of the structure, which were acquired by scanning transmission electron microscopy using high angle annular dark field and annular bright field detectors, are used to identify the B1-cubic structure of SiNx. To corroborate the acquired images, image simulations were performed using candidate structures. Complementary to imaging, spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy of the epitaxial SiNx layers was performed to acquire the symmetry specific nitrogen near edge fine-structure. Finally, full potential calculations performed to determine the near edge structure from candidate crystal structures confirms the existence of B1-cubic SiNx.

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ovr (subject category)