Nanometer-scale operando electric field mapping in oxide junctions by correlative STEM-EBIC and 4D-STEM
Abstract
Understanding local electric fields at oxide interfaces is essential for linking interfacial electrostatics to device functionality, yet conventional electrical measurements infer these fields only indirectly. Here, we combine operando scanning transmission electron microscope electron-beam-induced current (STEM-EBIC) with four-dimensional-STEM (4D-STEM) to quantitatively reconstruct the bias-dependent electric field spatial distribution across an oxide Schottky junction at nanometer scale. Using La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/Nb:SrTiO3 (LSMO/NSTO) as a model system, we fabricate an electron-transparent junction on a MEMS biasing platform and verify that it retains the rectifying transport behavior. STEM-EBIC provides complementary information addressing several key limitations in quantitative 4D-STEM field mapping for heterojunctions. The reconstructed electric field profiles show a pronounced nonlinear decay within the depletion region and an extended penetration into the LSMO. These results directly reveal the deviations of oxides Schottky junction from the ideal conventional Schottky depletion model, providing experimental signatures of non-classical interfacial electrostatics. Our correlative approach enables quantitative nanoscale electric field mapping in operating oxide heterojunctions, providing a basis for linking interfacial electrostatics to macroscopic transport and guiding oxide devices design.
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BibTeX
@misc{xie2026nanometerscale,
title = {{Nanometer-scale operando electric field mapping in oxide junctions by correlative STEM-EBIC and 4D-STEM}},
author = {Yining Xie and Eoin Moynihan and Xingyao Li and Richard Beanland and Aditya Singh and Marin Alexe and Mingmin Yang and Ana Sanchez},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.34087},
eprint = {2609.34087},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.34087},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Nanometer-scale operando electric field mapping in oxide junctions by correlative STEM-EBIC and 4D-STEM
AU - Yining Xie
AU - Eoin Moynihan
AU - Xingyao Li
AU - Richard Beanland
AU - Aditya Singh
AU - Marin Alexe
AU - Mingmin Yang
AU - Ana Sanchez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.34087
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.34087
AB - Understanding local electric fields at oxide interfaces is essential for linking interfacial electrostatics to device functionality, yet conventional electrical measurements infer these fields only indirectly. Here, we combine operando scanning transmission electron microscope electron-beam-induced current (STEM-EBIC) with four-dimensional-STEM (4D-STEM) to quantitatively reconstruct the bias-dependent electric field spatial distribution across an oxide Schottky junction at nanometer scale. Using La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/Nb:SrTiO3 (LSMO/NSTO) as a model system, we fabricate an electron-transparent junction on a MEMS biasing platform and verify that it retains the rectifying transport behavior. STEM-EBIC provides complementary information addressing several key limitations in quantitative 4D-STEM field mapping for heterojunctions. The reconstructed electric field profiles show a pronounced nonlinear decay within the depletion region and an extended penetration into the LSMO. These results directly reveal the deviations of oxides Schottky junction from the ideal conventional Schottky depletion model, providing experimental signatures of non-classical interfacial electrostatics. Our correlative approach enables quantitative nanoscale electric field mapping in operating oxide heterojunctions, providing a basis for linking interfacial electrostatics to macroscopic transport and guiding oxide devices design.
ER -