Nitrogen nanobubbles in a-SiOxNy coatings: evaluation of its physical properties and chemical bonding state by spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Nanoporous silicon-based materials with closed porosity filled with the sputtering gas have been recently developed by magnetron sputtering. In this work the physical properties (density and pressure) of molecular nitrogen inside closed pores in a SiOxNy coating are investigated for the first time using spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope. The paper offers a detailed methodology to record and process multiple EELS spectrum images (SIs) acquired at different energy ranges and with different dwell times.