New Book Chapter: Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Oxide Interfaces and Heterostructures
I am excited to announce the publication of my new book chapter, "Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Oxide Interfaces and Heterostructures," in Materials Characterization Methods for Epitaxial Films and Heterostructures, published by World Scientific Publishing. This chapter, which I submitted in 2019, explores the transformative impact of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques on understanding complex oxide interfaces and heterostructures.
The chapter delves into how modern STEM instruments provide unparalleled access to rich spatial and chemical information, crucial for advancing materials synthesis, properties, and performance. It highlights STEM's unique role in materials science, chemistry, biology, and physics, offering insights difficult or impossible to obtain through other characterization methods. The work emphasizes that data from STEM is highly complementary to other experimental and theoretical approaches, facilitating strong interpretive frameworks that lead to deep predictive understanding.
The content covers the evolution and current state of key microscope components—including illumination systems, sample environments, detectors, and data analytics—and their collective impact on addressing challenges in thin film oxide interfaces and heterostructures. A significant portion is dedicated to the role of data science and machine learning in revolutionizing STEM data analysis, enabling the classification of features in complex, multidimensional datasets with minimal human intervention.
Looking ahead, the chapter envisions continued innovations in resolution and sensitivity, alongside increasing integration of data science into instrumentation to streamline data collection and interpretation, ultimately yielding transformative new insights into functional materials systems.
You can find the book here: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/14109#t=aboutBook
A preprint of the article is available here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00947