In situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of dislocation formation and dynamics during the crystallization of amorphous SrTiO3

In situ high-resolution TEM imaging of an ion-milled SrTiO3 sample during annealing at 925 and 940 °C is reported. Regions that were amorphized during the ionmilling at room temperature are observed to crystallize, forming low-angle grain boundaries. At the grain boundaries, perfect a (left angle bracket)0 0 1(right angle bracket) dislocations and two climb-dissociated a/2 (left angle bracket)0 1 1(right angle bracket) dislocations were observed. The experimental observations also include dynamic dislocation phenomena, such as glide, climb, and annihilation. Interestingly, the separation of the two a/2 (left angle bracket)0 1 1(right angle bracket) partial dislocations in the low-angle grain boundaries is not constant, but temporarily fluctuates around a mean value of 2 nm.