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J P Morniroli

Publications and source records attributed to J P Morniroli.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Contribution of electron precession to the identification of the space group from microdiffraction patterns.

In a previous study, it was reported that the possible space groups of a crystal can be identified at a microscopic or nanoscopic scale, thanks to microdiffraction patterns obtained with a nearly parallel electron incident beam focused on a very small area of the specimen. A systematic method was proposed, which consists of the observation of a few microdiffraction patterns displaying at least two Laue zones. These microdiffraction patterns can also be obtained by using an electron precession equipment. In this case, the patterns display a very large number of reflections in the Laue zones whose intensity is the integrated intensity. These original features greatly facilitate the space group identification method and are particularly useful when the high-order Laue zones (HOLZ) are not visible on microdiffraction patterns or when very thin specimens are not available.

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CBED and LACBED characterization of crystal defects.

Convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) obtained with a focused incident beam is well known for the identification of the point and space groups but it can also be used for the analysis of stacking faults and antiphase boundaries. Large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction (LACBED) is performed with a large defocused incident beam and is well adapted to the characterization of most types of crystal defects: point defects, perfect and partial dislocations, stacking faults, antiphase boundaries and grain boundaries. Among the advantages of these methods with respect to the conventional transmission electron microscopy methods, are that one or few patterns are required for a full analysis and the interpretations are easy and unambiguous. The LACBED technique is particularly useful for the analysis of dislocations present in anisotropic and beam-sensitive materials.

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New developments in the characterization of dislocation loops from LACBED patterns.

The characterization of the Burgers vector of dislocations from large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction (LACBED) patterns is now a well-established method. The method has already been applied to relatively large and isolated dislocation loops in semiconductors. Nevertheless, some severe experimental difficulties are encountered with small dislocation loops. By using a 2 microm selected-area aperture and a carbon contamination point to mark the loop of interest, we were able to characterize both the plane and the Burgers vector of dislocation loops of a few tens of nanometres in size present in Al-Cu-Mg alloys.

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CBED and LACBED: characterization of antiphase boundaries.

Convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) and large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction (LACBED) techniques are well adapted to the characterization of several types of crystal defects. In fact, dislocations, grain boundaries and stacking faults have already been successfully characterized with these methods. In the present paper, we describe the CBED and LACBED characterization of another type of crystal defect showing a special interest in materials science: antiphase boundaries (APBs). The first part of the paper is devoted to the determination of the effects of antiphase boundaries on CBED and LACBED patterns that could be expected from a theoretical point of view. It indicates that the superlattice excess lines present on these patterns are split into two lines with equal intensity when the incident beam is located on an APB. In the second part, we experimentally test these theoretical predictions on a specimen showing two different known types of antiphase boundaries. In a third part we indicate how these methods could be used to identify unknown APBs in a specimen. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of both methods for the characterization of antiphase boundaries are discussed.

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Polarity determination of III-V compound semiconductors by large-angle convergent beam electron diffraction.

The large-angle convergent beam electron diffraction (LACBED) technique is used for determining the crystal polarity of GaP and GaAs single crystals from < 1 1 0 > cross-sectional samples. The method which is based on an earlier approach using convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) evaluates the polarity-sensitive contrast of high odd-index Bragg-lines in [0 0 2] dark-field patterns. The polarity is determined by application of a simple contrast rule as well as by direct comparison with dynamical simulations. For the two materials the ranges of applicability are determined by a detailed analysis of the Bragg-line contrast as a function of the sample thickness. The coexistence of the Bragg-line pattern and the of shadow image of the defect in correct rotational relationship to each other makes the analysis straightforward and free from possible sources of errors. As an example, the crystal polarity of GaP is related to the morphology of facetted voids. The LACBED method is shown to be suitable for relating the analysis of extended crystal defects. The advantages and the disadvantages of the LACBED method are discussed in comparison with the corresponding CBED method and with a recent method based on the analysis of bend contours.

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Space-group determination of human tooth-enamel crystals.

In the present work, we have determined the space group of human tooth-enamel crystals using--for the first time for a biological crystal--convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED). The symmetries observed in the different patterns we have obtained lead us to the P6(3)/m hydroxyapatite space group. Disorder, most likely situated in the columns formed by the hydroxyl ions of the crystals, is suggested as a cause of weak intensity in the otherwise forbidden 000l (l odd) reflections and low visibility of first-order Laue zone (FOLZ) reflections in the CBED pattern from crystals oriented along the [0001] zone axis. A monoclinic phase was not observed.

Adult↗