A Grinding/Polishing Tool for TEM Sample Preparation

Abstract

A grinding/polishing tool has been developed for preparing TEM samples. The hand-held tool is 2.50″ in diameter and 3.0″ high. Rough-cut samples, 300 to 600 microns thick, are routinely polished to 5 microns thick in four to six hours using this tool. As these 5 micron samples are so thin and uniform, a separate dimpling operation can be eliminated. Likewise, the time required to ion-mill the sample can be reduced to 0.5 to 2.0 hours – greatly reducing ion-milling artifacts and significantly increasing the area viewable by TEM. The process is equally effective for all classes of samples: Silicon devices, ceramics or metals – in either cross-section or planar views.

Mechanisms of Hf dopant incorporation during the early stage of chemical vapor deposition aluminide coating growth under continuous doping conditions

“…The "sandwich" specimens were then cured for 2 hours at 170°C in air, were cross sectioned to small coupons of 0.5 ϫ 2 ϫ 5 mm, and were thinned by the tripod polishing method. [24] The elemental composition of coating specimens was analyzed as a function of coating depth by glow-discharge mass spectroscopy (GDMS). This technique utilizes a glowdischarge plasma ball (ϳ1 to 2 cm in diameter) to sputter a solid surface under high vacuum.…”

Transmission electron microscopy study of defect reduction in two-step lateral epitaxial overgrown nonplanar GaN substrate templates

“…Cross-sectional TEM samples were prepared by mechanical tripod polishing [17] and Ar + -ion milling at 5 kV. The TEM investigation was carried out on either a Philips EM420 operating at 120 kV or an Akashi 002B operating at 200 kV.…”

Three-dimensional microstructural characterization of GaN nonplanar substrate laterally epitaxially overgrown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

“…Cross-sectional and plan-view TEM samples were prepared by mechanical tripod polishing [25] combined with conventional Ar + -ion milling. The TEM observation was carried out with either a Philips EM420 operating at 120 kV or an Akashi 002B operating at 200 kV.…”