Anisotropy of electronic structure and spectral excitations in oxide superconductors via low loss EELS

Y. Y. Wang, S. C. Cheng, V. P. Dravid*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The low loss (i.e. the valence band) portion of transmission electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectrum comprises of very high signal (as well as high signal to noise ratio for many excitations) with rich information embedded in it about electronic and optical properties of solids. There are, however, clear interpretation problems in low loss EELS owing to the complexity of electronic transitions in multicomponent systems (e.g. high T(c) oxides) and the perennial multiple scattering which masks real information, and considerable deconvolution (often dicy) is necessary before useful information can be obtained. This paper briefly reviews the relevant aspects of low loss EELS in the context of electronic structure and spectral excitations in oxide superconductors. Particular attention is paid to the details of various corrections and deconvolution procedures, illustrated with examples of oxide superconductors. It is shown that a prudent combination of careful experiments, appropriate deconvolution procedures and conservative interpretation are key to successful application of this technique. This review argues that low loss EELS is a viable technique even for complex oxides as in superconductors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)379-394
Number of pages16
JournalMicron
Volume30
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1999

Funding

The authors would like to thank A.L. Ritter, S.E. Schnatterly, and M.V. Klein for valuable discussions and their encouragement for pursuing electron energy loss spectroscopy experiments of high-T c superconductor materials. This research is supported by the NSF through the Science & Technology Center for Superconductivity (NSF-STCS), NSF-DMR-91-20000.

Keywords

  • Deconvolution
  • Electronic structure
  • Oxide superconductors
  • Spectral excitation
  • Transmission electron energy loss spectroscopy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Structural Biology
  • Cell Biology

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