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Preparation of 3D Atom Probe Samples of Multilayered Film Structures using a Focused Ion Beam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

R. L. Martens ,
D. J. Larson ,
T. F. Kelly ,
A. Cerezo ,
P.’H. Clifton  and
N. Tabat
R. L. Martens
Affiliation:
Imago Scientific Instruments Corporation, 6417 Normandy Lane, Suite 100, Madison, WI, 53719
D. J. Larson
Affiliation:
Recording Head Operations, Seagate Technology, Minneapolis, MN, 55435
T. F. Kelly
Affiliation:
Imago Scientific Instruments Corporation, 6417 Normandy Lane, Suite 100, Madison, WI, 53719
A. Cerezo
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, OX1 3PH, England
P.’H. Clifton
Affiliation:
Recording Head Operations, Seagate Technology, Springtown, Northern Ireland
N. Tabat
Affiliation:
Recording Head Operations, Seagate Technology, Minneapolis, MN, 55435
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Extract

Focused ion beam (FIB) instruments have become essential for the preparation of atom probe samples from heterogeneous materials. Previous sample preparation methods such as electropolishing are limited in their application due to either geometrical or electrochemical constraints. Recent developments in sample preparation using a FIB have enabled the production of AP samples from various materials and, more importantly, from non-traditional sample geometries that contain multilayered thin film structures (MLF).

Most sample preparation using a FIB first involves a sample that has been reduced in size through some manual sample preparation technique like tripod polishing or cutting. Smaller, thinner samples require less milling time in the FIB. A silicon wafer etched with the “Bosch” process was used to produce a surface that contains millions of 20, 16, 12, 8, and 4 μm square by -180 μrn long “posts”, Fig. 1. A multilayer film structure is deposited on the flat surface of the silicon posts in a standard deposition process.

Type
Applications and Developments of Focused Ion Beams
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 6 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis 2000, Microscopy Society of America 58th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 34th Annual Meeting, Microscopical Society of Canada/Societe de Microscopie de Canada 27th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 13-17, 2000 , August 2000 , pp. 522 - 523
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

[1] Miller, M. K. et al., Atom Probe Field Ion Microscopy (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996).Google Scholar

[2] Larson, D. J. et al., Ultramicroscopy 79 (1999) 287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

[3] Larson, D. J. et al., Acta Mater. 47 (1999) 4019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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[5] Larson, D. J. et al. Micro, and Microanai, this volume.Google Scholar

[6] The authors would like to thank Drs. R. J. Viellieux and B. D. Wisman (Seagate) and A. K. Petford-Long (Univ. Oxford) for their contributions to this research.Google Scholar