Investigation of dislocations in Nb-doped SrTiO3 by electron-beam-induced current and transmission electron microscopy

This paper aims to clarify the electrical activities of dislocations in Nb-doped SrTiO3 substrates and the role of dislocations in the resistance switching phenomenon in Pt/SrTiO3 Schottky contacts. The electrical activities of dislocations have been studied by electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) technique. EBIC has found that dislocations can exhibit dark or bright contrast depending on their character and band bending condition. The character of dislocations has been analysed based on chemical etching and transmission electron microscopy. These data suggested that not all the dislocations contribute to the switching phenomenon. The active dislocations for resistance switching were discussed. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.