Photoelectron microscopy and spectroscopy of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$- ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1+\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_2$${\mathrm{O}}_{8+\mathit{y}}$(100)

The combination of photoelectron microscopy (PEM) and photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) from very small spatial regions enabled an in situ examination of the structural and electronic properties of sheets of cleaved single crystals of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2$ ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$ ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1+\mathit{x}}$ ${\mathrm{Cu}}_2$ ${\mathrm{O}}_{8+\mathit{y}}$(100). The PEM images were obtained with ∼10 μm spatial resolution, and the PES spectra were acquired from areas of ∼20 μm diameter. The PEM images revealed the laminated structure of the surface in which thin sheets of single crystals with a typical dimension of 1×1 ${\mathrm{mm}}^2$ have highly stepped borders. PES spectra obtained as a function of distance across these complex structures demonstrated inhomogeneous bonding configurations with Bi atoms that are highly oxidized at the edge of each crystal.