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Recent Developments in the use of the Tripod Polisher for TEM Specimen Preparation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

John Benedict ,
Ron Anderson  and
Stanley J. Klepeis
John Benedict
Affiliation:
IBM, Department 13W, Building 630-E40, East Fishkill Facility, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533-0999 USA
Ron Anderson
Affiliation:
IBM, Department 13W, Building 630-E40, East Fishkill Facility, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533-0999 USA
Stanley J. Klepeis
Affiliation:
IBM, Department 13W, Building 630-E40, East Fishkill Facility, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533-0999 USA
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Abstract

Cross sections of material specimens for TEM analysis must be produced in the shortest time possible, contain few, if any, artifacts and have a large area available for analysis. The analyst must also be able to prepare these cross sections from specified areas of complex, heterogeneous structures on a routine, reproducible basis to meet the growing needs of the semiconductor industry for TEM analysis. The specimen preparation spatial resolution required for preparing precision cross sections is substantially less than one micron. Cross sections meeting these requirements can be prepared by mounting a specimen to the Tripod Polisher and mechanically polishing on one side of the specimen, using a sequence of progressively finer grit diamond lapping films, until the area of interest is reached. This polished surface is then very briefly polished on a cloth wheel with colloidal silica to attain the final polish on that side. The specimen is then flipped over on the Tripod Polisher and polished from the other side, using same sequence of diamond lapping films to reach the predefined area of interest. The Tripod Polisher is set at a slight angle, to produce a tapered, wedge-shaped specimen, which has the area of interest at the thinnest edge of the taper. The specimen is polished with the diamond lapping films and the colloidal silica until it is 1000 Angstroms or less in thickness. The specimen is removed from the polisher and mounted on a 2 × 1mm slotted grid with M-Bond 610 epoxy. After the epoxy is cured the specimen can be taken directly to the microscope for analysis. The need for ion milling has been eliminated or reduced to a few minutes in most of our work because of the thinness of the final specimen. The total specimen preparation time is between 2.5 and 4 hours, depending on the specimen and the size of the specified area. The area available for analysis ranges from 0.5mm up to the full size of the mounting grid opening. The wedge shape of the specimen provides the mechanical stability needed for a long thin specimen.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 254: Symposium W – Specimen Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy of Materials III , 1991 , 121
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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References

1. Klepeis, S. J., et al., in Specimen Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy of Materials, ed. Bravman, et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Proc. 115, Pittsburgh, PA USA p. 179.Google Scholar
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5. Ross Ultra Super Glue is a product of Conros Corp., Detroit, MI 48209Google Scholar
6. Sally Hansen Nail Bonding Glue is a product of Del Laboratories, Farmingdale, NY 11735Google Scholar
7. The diamond lapping film is a special order item and has been assigned a special series of 3M part numbers. The 30 micron grit film is 3M-8-IDLF-NTB-NPSA-30-3T, which translates as: 8-inch Imperial Diamond Lapping Film, Non Type “B”, Non Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, 30-micron grit, and 3-mils Thick. All other grits have the same part number except for the grit size. Imperial Diamond Lapping Film is a product of 3M Corp., 3M Center, St Paul, MN.Google Scholar
8. SYTON is available from Remet Chemical Co., Chadwicks, NY. SYTON-HT-50 is used most frequently. It has a colloidal silica sphere size of 50nm.Google Scholar
9. Technotron Polishing Cloth is a product of Leco Corp., St Joseph, MI.Google Scholar
10. M-Bond 610 is a product of Measurements Group., Inc., Box 27777, Raleigh, NC 27611Google Scholar