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Li C, Habler G, Baldwin LC, et al. An improved FIB sample preparation technique for site-specific plan-view specimens: A new cutting geometry. Ultramicroscopy. 2017;184:310-317doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011.
Li, C., Habler, G., Baldwin, L. C., & Abart, R. (2018). An improved FIB sample preparation technique for site-specific plan-view specimens: A new cutting geometry. Ultramicroscopy, 184310-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011
Li, Chen, et al. "An improved FIB sample preparation technique for site-specific plan-view specimens: A new cutting geometry." Ultramicroscopy vol. 184 (2018): 310-317. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011
Li C, Habler G, Baldwin LC, Abart R. An improved FIB sample preparation technique for site-specific plan-view specimens: A new cutting geometry. Ultramicroscopy. 2018 Jan;184:310-317. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011. Epub 2017 Sep 28. PMID: 29096249.
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Ultramicroscopy. 2018 Jan;184:310-317. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011. Epub 2017 Sep 28.

An improved FIB sample preparation technique for site-specific plan-view specimens: A new cutting geometry.

Ultramicroscopy

Chen Li, Gerlinde Habler, Lisa C Baldwin, Rainer Abart

Affiliations

  1. Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Stuttgart Center for Electron Microscopy, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstr. 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

PMID: 29096249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.09.011

Abstract

Focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation technique in plan-view geometry allows direct correlations of the atomic structure study via transmission electron microscopy with micrometer-scale property measurements. However, one main technical difficulty is that a large amount of material must be removed underneath the specimen. Furthermore, directly monitoring the milling process is difficult unless very large material volumes surrounding the TEM specimen site are removed. In this paper, a new cutting geometry is introduced for FIB lift-out sample preparation with plan-view geometry. Firstly, an "isolated" cuboid shaped specimen is cut out, leaving a "bridge" connecting it with the bulk material. Subsequently the two long sides of the "isolated" cuboid are wedged, forming a triangular prism shape. A micromanipulator needle is used for in-situ transfer of the specimen to a FIB TEM grid, which has been mounted parallel with the specimen surface using a simple custom-made sample slit. Finally, the grid is transferred to the standard FIB grid holder for final thinning with standard procedures. This new cutting geometry provides clear viewing angles for monitoring the milling process, which solves the difficulty of judging whether the specimen has been entirely detached from the bulk material, with the least possible damage to the surrounding materials. With an improved success rate and efficiency, this plan-view FIB lift-out specimen preparation technique should have a wide application for material science.

Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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