Direct observation of B-site ordering in LSAT: (La0.3Sr0.7)(Al0.65Ta0.35)O3 single crystal

B-site atomic column regularity was directly observed in (La0.3Sr0.7)(Al0.65Ta0.35)O3 single crystals by Z-contrast imaging during high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Two types of areas with different B-site regularity were found. One of the ordered structures, which was similar to a previously reported structure, was several tens of nanometers in size and had a rock salt-like regularity owing to variation in the B-site Al/Ta ratio. The other structure existed as disordered-like domains in the (La0.3Sr0.7)(Al0.65Ta0.35)O3 crystal. Fourier transform processing revealed that the disordered-like domains consisted of very fine ordered domains of several nanometers in size. These very fine ordered structures had a different B-site Al/Ta ratio variation with a rock salt-like regularity.