Correlated TKD/EDS - TEM - APT analysis on selected interfaces of CoSi2 thin films

• Published in: Ultramicroscopy Vol. 206; p. 112807
• Main Authors: Zschiesche, H., Campos, A.P.C., Dominici, C., Roussel, L., Charai, A., Mangelinck, D., Alfonso, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: Atom probe tomography; Chemical Sciences; Interfaces/interphases; Material chemistry; Site-specific sample preparation; Thin films; Transmission electron microscopy; Transmission Kikuchi diffraction/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; Thin films; Transmission electron microscopy; Site-specific sample preparation; Transmission Kikuchi diffraction/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; Interfaces/interphases; Atom probe tomography; transmission electron microscopy; site-specific sample preparation; transmission Kikuchi diffraction/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; thin films; interfaces/interphases; atom probe tomography
• ISSN: 0304-3991; 1879-2723
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2019.06.007

•Procedure for correlative TKD/EDS-TEM-APT analysis on nanoscale materials.•Providing systematic study of selected interfaces on their structure and chemistry.•New sample holder to correlate TKD/EDS analysis to TEM and APT investigations.•Demonstration of procedure on CoSi2 thin film on Si containing Ge diffusion marker.•Non uniform Ge segregation to junctions of faceted epitaxial interface. Correlative analysis is a powerful way to relate crystallographic and chemical information to the properties of materials. In this work, a procedure is proposed to select and analyze interfaces of polycrystalline thin film materials through correlative transmission Kikuchi diffraction/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TKD/EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). TKD provides information on the crystallographic orientation. The EDS analysis performed together with TKD in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) makes chemical information available allowing phases of similar crystal structure, but with a different composition to be distinguished. The information of TKD/EDS can be correlated to successive TEM and APT analysis on selected interfaces for structural and chemical analysis at the atomic scale. An interface of an epitaxial orientated grain of a polycrystalline CoSi2 thin film on (111)Si is selected and analyzed. The selected interface has a twin character and shows facets of different orientation and area. Site-specific segregation of Ge to junctions of the facets is evidenced. The correlation between local strain from misfit (defects) at the interface and segregation is discussed.