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Quantitative HRTEM analysis of FIB prepared specimens
1Department of Materials Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Journal of Microscopy
|December 20, 2008
Summary
Preparing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens with minimal damage is challenging. This study introduces a novel focused ion beam (FIB) method using low energy ions and a low incident angle for improved TEM sample preparation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen preparation is crucial for accurate analysis.
- Conventional focused ion beam (FIB) milling can introduce significant irradiation damage.
- Achieving high-quality, damage-free specimens, especially from specific sample areas, remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a novel FIB-based approach for preparing high-quality TEM specimens.
- To minimize milling-induced irradiation damage during TEM specimen preparation.
- To enable quantitative high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis on prepared samples.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a focused ion beam (FIB) system for specimen preparation.
- Employed low energy (5 kV) Gallium (Ga) ions.
- Used a low incident ion angle (approx. 1 degree) from an initial thickness of approx. 500 nm until electron transparency.
Main Results:
- TEM specimens prepared with the novel method exhibited significantly reduced irradiation damage.
- Successful quantitative high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) was performed on sapphire specimens.
- Data acquisition utilized an aberration-corrected field emission gun TEM.
Conclusions:
- The proposed low-energy, low-angle FIB milling technique is effective for minimizing TEM specimen damage.
- This method facilitates advanced quantitative analysis, such as iterative digital image matching, on delicate materials.
- The study demonstrates the feasibility of obtaining high-quality TEM specimens for detailed microstructural investigations.
