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Use of permanent marker to deposit a protection layer against FIB damage in TEM specimen preparation
Author(s) -
PARK Y.C.,
PARK B.C.,
ROMANKOV S.,
PARK K.J.,
YOO J.H.,
LEE Y.B.,
YANG J.M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/jmi.12150
Subject(s) - transmission electron microscopy , focused ion beam , materials science , layer (electronics) , electron energy loss spectroscopy , electron beam induced deposition , amorphous solid , scanning electron microscope , energy dispersive x ray spectroscopy , ion beam , spectroscopy , optoelectronics , microstructure , optics , composite material , ion , beam (structure) , scanning transmission electron microscopy , nanotechnology , chemistry , crystallography , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Summary Permanent marker deposition (PMD), which creates permanent writing on an object with a permanent marker, was investigated as a method to deposit a protection layer against focused ion beam damage. PMD is a simple, fast and cheap process. Further, PMD is excellent in filling in narrow and deep trenches, enabling damage‐free observation of high aspect ratio structures with atomic resolution in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microstructure, composition, gap filling ability and planarization of the PMD layer were studied using dual beam focused ion beam, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. It was found that a PMD layer is basically an amorphous carbon structure, and that such a layer should be at least 65 nm thick to protect a surface against 30 keV focused ion beam damage. We suggest that such a PMD layer can be an excellent protection layer to maintain a pristine sample structure against focused ion beam damage during transmission electron microscopy specimen preparation.