TEM Sample Preparation Using FIB

Abstract

The focused ion beam (FIB) technique has been indispensable for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the preparation of materials such as semiconductors, ceramics and metals, since it allows us to cut out specific parts from a bulk sample. However, it is well known that the high-voltage Ga ion beam damages the surface layers of TEM specimen. To avoid these problems, we have developed a FIB-Ar ion-milling technique to remove the FIB-damaged layers. In this paper, we applied this technique to the TEM specimen preparation for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron holography.