HREM of CoSi2/SiC heterophase interface: facts and artifacts in the interface distance profile measurements

When studying heterophase interfaces, one of the ultimate goals is to determine the local distortions and to extract a chemical profile. In this respect, HREM is a powerful tool. Nevertheless, the non-linearity of the image formation leads to artifacts both in the images and in the distance profiles extracted from the images. The present SiC/silicide interface study illustrates the misinterpretation, which might arise from measurements made on images recorded under limited experimental conditions.