The "lift-out" technique has numerous qualities that make it attractive to industry requiring TEM analysis. The
total fabrication time for a site specific TEM specimen by this method is on the order of hours. For traditional FIB
TEM specimens, the time is much longer. Of course the speed of fabrication is strongly dependent on material
composition, and the geometry of the bulk sample; however, due to the fact that large amounts of ion milling time are
eliminated using the "lift-out" method, it will always be a more rapid means of getting a TEM specimen from a bulk
substrate. The final size of the electron transparent cross-section varies, but can be as large as 150 square
microns to as small as 45 microns squared. It also means that a TEM specimen can
be manufactured from a specific area while leaving the rest of the die intact.
This may be an advantage to materials science clients who wish to look at
specific areas of their substrate in a TEM without destroying all of their sample.
If you would like more information about the "lift-out" technique and its application to the
materials science industry, please do not hesitate to
contact us
for more details.
