Epitaxial checkerboard arrangement of nanorods in ZnMnGaO4 films studied by x-ray diffraction

TL;DR

This study investigates the nano-structural properties of a ZnMnGaO4 film with a checkerboard nanorod arrangement grown on MgO substrate, using synchrotron x-ray diffraction to analyze its phases and domain coexistence.

Contribution

It reveals the epitaxial self-assembled checkerboard nanorod structure and analyzes the lattice parameters and domain symmetry using advanced x-ray diffraction techniques.

Findings

Identification of a checkerboard nanorod structure in ZnMnGaO4 film

Analysis of lattice parameters of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases

Evidence of coherent coexistence of two domain types

Abstract

The intriguing nano-structural properties of a ZnMnGaO4 film epitaxially grown on MgO (001) substrate have been investigated using synchrotron radiation-based x-ray diffraction. The ZnMnGaO4 film consisted of a self-assembled checkerboard (CB) structure with perfectly aligned and regularly spaced vertical nanorods. The lattice parameters of the orthorhombic and rotated tetragonal phases of the CB structure were analyzed using H-K, H-L, and K-L cross sections of the reciprocal space maps measured around various symmetric and asymmetric reflections of the spinel structure. We demonstrate that the symmetry of atomic displacements at the phases boundaries provides the means for coherent coexistence of two domains types within the volume of the film.