Application of Cross Section Polisher to Sample Preparation for Surface Analysis

Abstract

  Sample preparation techniques are absolutely important for structural analysis. Widely used techniques such as mechanical polishing and microtome fabrication have proved to be highly effective techniques. However, these techniques have severe limitations regarding fabrication of hard materials, and obtaining wide useful observation areas, which make the fabrication of particularly composite layered materials extremely difficult. To alleviate these difficulties a recently developed broad argon ion beam Cross Section Polisher (CP) was used to fabricate various composite materials. The application of CP requires an elaborate and skillful sample pre-treatment that is unique to the nature of each sample and which enhances the possibility of a wide variety of surface analysis methods to be applied to the sample. In this paper we introduce typical examples of the application of CP as a sample preparation technique for surface analysis.