AUTHOR=Fürsich K. , Pons R. , Bluschke M. , Ortiz R. A. , Wintz S. , Schierle E. , Weigand M. , Logvenov G. , Schütz G. , Keimer B. , Benckiser E. 

TITLE=Oxygen Hole Character and Lateral Homogeneity in PrNiO2+δ Thin Films

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.810220

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2021.810220

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=<p>Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy with lateral resolution from the submillimeter to submicrometer range, we investigate the homogeneity, the chemical composition, and the nickel 3<italic>d</italic>- oxygen 2<italic>p</italic> charge transfer in topotactically reduced epitaxial PrNiO<sub>2+<italic>δ</italic></sub> thin films. To this end, we use x-ray absorption spectroscopy in a standard experimental setup and in a soft x-ray microscope to probe the element and spatially resolved electronic structure modifications through changes of the nickel-2<italic>p</italic> and oxygen-1<italic>s</italic> absorption spectrum upon soft-chemistry reduction. We find that the reduction process is laterally homogeneous across a partially reduced PrNiO<sub>2+<italic>δ</italic></sub> thin film sample for length scales down to 50 nm.</p>