CROSS-SECTIONAL SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY OF ELECTRODEPOSITED METAL-OXIDE SUPERLATTICES

We have used scanning tunneling microscopy to characterize cleaved cross sections of Pb-Tl-O superlattices. The metal oxide ceramic superlattices were electrodeposited from a single solution, with layer thicknesses as small as 1.5 nm. The lattice parameter of the fcc fluorite-type oxides is approximately 0.536 nm. Modulation wavelengths were determined using Fourier analysis of the STM images and found to be in good agreement with Faraday calculations and x-ray diffraction measurements. The STM is especially well suited for the measurement of modulation wavelengths that are too large to measure by x-ray diffraction, but too small to measure by scanning electron microscopy.