Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is ideally suited for the study of oxide materials. The large cross section for the oxygen K-absorption edge generates enough signal for fine-structure analysis even when the probe is small enough for atomic resolution imaging (∼2Å). Therefore, by using the Z-contrast imaging technique in the STEM to locate defects and position the probe with atomic resolution, detailed spectroscopic information can be obtained from a known atomic location. by selecting the appropriate acquisition conditions, these spectra can have the same atomic resolution and incoherent features as the Z-contrast image. The primary benefit of this methodology is that the image provides a structural model for interpretation of the spectrum through theoretical modeling.

One means of interpreting this spectral fine-structure is through multiple scattering analysis. In the multiple scattering formulation, the fine-structure of the absorption edge is considered to arise from interference effects resulting from the scattering of an excited photoelectron from neighboring atoms.