Ion Beam Slope Cutting • Final Polishing Preparing high performance FIB-SEM / TEM samples FIB systems are - among others - largely used to prepare TEM cross section sample lamellae. The advantages of FIB over the more conventional methods include high throughput, high precision, less preferential thinning and large electron transparent areas. The main disadvantage of FIBs is, however, that the relatively high energy and heavy Ga ions cause a damaged (amorphous or implanted) layer that may extend several tens of nanometers into the material. Therefore, FIB in general produces TEM samples which are less suitable for high performance analytical (S)TEM (HRTEM, HRSTEM, high spatial resolution EELS and EDX) investigation. Technoorg’s Ion Mill workstations are offered for cleaning and final polishing of FIB samples. With its low-angle, low-energy broad Ar ion beam it is suitable for removing the damaged layers created by the FIB during lamellae formation and also for further reducing the specimen thickness.   Low-Energy Ion Milling Low-energy Ar+ ion milling performed by the Gentle Mill™ on samples prepared by FIB system drastically decreases the damaged, amorphous layer. This allows atomic level structure analysis even of 65 nm node semiconductor devices. Ion Beam Slope Cutting   To produce planar cross-sections of different quality of solid state materials for SEM imaging and microanalysis.   Below: Cross-sectional specimen of Zn coated steel prepared by ion beam slope cutting process cut into the near surface layer of the bulk sample   Final Polishing   To produce samples samples for Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) study and Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM)   EBSD pattern of copper sample Inverse Pole Figure (IPF) of the same copper sample