TEM specimen preparation techniques
نویسندگان
چکیده
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool for the investigation of the microstructure of materials, providing crystallographic information and composition at the nanometer scale. For such studies, samples should be transparent to the electron beam. In this review, TEM sample preparation techniques for different classes of materials, such as metals and alloys, multilayered coatings, device structures, nanomaterials and composites are described with illustrative examples. Also, site-specific TEM specimen preparation using focused ion beam (FIB) milling is presented. As specimen preparation involves thinning the sample to electron transparent thickness it can result in artifacts, which are briefly reported.
منابع مشابه
Direct observation of liquid crystals using cryo-TEM: specimen preparation and low-dose imaging.
Liquid crystals (LCs) represent a challenging group of materials for direct transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies due to the complications in specimen preparation and the severe radiation damage. In this paper, we summarize a series of specimen preparation methods, including thin film and cryo-sectioning approaches, as a comprehensive toolset enabling high-resolution direct cryo-TEM ob...
متن کاملComparative TEM Studies of Liquid Crystals: Freeze Fracture, Plunge Freezing of Thin Films, and Cryosectioning of Bulk Samples
The fascinating liquid crystals (LCs) [1], uniquely combining order and mobility and having tremendous impacts (e.g., liquid crystal display, the so-called LCD), impose great challenges for direct TEM studies due to the difficulties in specimen preparation and the severe radiation damage. Recently, we demonstrated that a widely available cryo-TEM, a high sensitivity CCD camera and a modified lo...
متن کامل2D-mapping of dopant distribution in deep sub micron CMOS devices by electron holography using adapted FIB-preparation.
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a widely used tool for analysis of very large scale integrated (VLSI) semiconductor devices. As a special TEM-feature, off-axis electron holography obtains information about the electrical characteristics of a specimen, which are connected to the dopant concentration in the bulk material. Compared with conventional TEM, application of electron holograph...
متن کاملFIB Applications: A Historical Perspective
FIB applications were initially driven by the silicon semiconductor industry and concentrated on preparation for SEM and modification of devices and masks. Development of TEM preparation coupled with the site specific capability provided by FIB significantly enhanced failure analysis for Si technology and in lightwave materials such as InP [1]. Initial TEM preparation still required mechanical ...
متن کاملNovel Hybrid Sample Preparation Method for In Situ Liquid Cell TEM Analysis
In situ environmental transmission electron microscopy (TEM) research has increased dramatically in recent years [1-3]. However, due to the difficulty in sample preparation, liquid environmental TEM studies have been limited to materials such as nanoparticles or nanowires [3-5]. To date, no work has been reported on conventional metals/alloys in liquid environment. This is due to the significan...
متن کامل