Journal of Electron Microscopy 51:S67-S72 (2002)
© 2002 Oxford University Press
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Quantitative electron incoherent scattering and application to nanometre-sized charge ordering in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana and Champaign, 1304 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. E-mail: Jianzuo{at}uiuc.edu
A new scattering matrix theory that takes full account of electron multiple scattering is described for electron incoherent scattering based on the two-phase model. This theory was applied to determine the structure of nanometre-sized charge ordering in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3, where the ordered structure is distributed randomly in the crystal and contributes to the total scattering incoherently. The experimental diffraction pattern from La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 has the characteristics of a displacement wave. Based on this, we proposed a structural model and tested it by comparing the experimental diffraction intensities with theoretical intensities. Quantitative analysis was made possible by using electron energy-filtering and imaging plates for electron intensity measurement. The good agreement between the experiment and theory shows that it is possible to extract important structural information from electron incoherent scattering.
Keywords incoherent scattering, electron diffraction, energy filtering, charge ordering