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Title: Focused-ion-beam induced damage in thin films of complex oxide BiFeO{sub 3}

Journal Article · · APL Materials
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4866051· OSTI ID:22269553
; ; ; ;  [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. Center for Nanophase Materials Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States)
  2. Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)
  3. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 (United States)

An unexpected, strong deterioration of crystal quality is observed in epitaxial perovskite BiFeO{sub 3} films in which microscale features have been patterned by focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling. Specifically, synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction shows that the damaged region extends to tens of μm, but does not result in measureable changes to morphology or stoichiometry. Therefore, this change would go undetected with standard laboratory equipment, but can significantly influence local material properties and must be taken into account when using a FIB to manufacture nanostructures. The damage is significantly reduced when a thin metallic layer is present on top of the film during the milling process, clearly indicating that the reduced crystallinity is caused by ion beam induced charging.

OSTI ID:
22269553
Journal Information:
APL Materials, Vol. 2, Issue 2; Other Information: (c) 2014 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2166-532X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English