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.