The preparation of cross‐section specimens for transmission electron microscopy

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Abstract
The structure and chemistry of thin solid films are best studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) when they are viewed in cross‐section—that is, when the surface normal of the film is made perpendicular to the electron beam. In this orientation, the substrate, the thin film layers, and the interfaces between them can be imaged either simultaneously or individually. Further, information from each of these regions remains distinct from that obtained from the others, eliminating the problems of superimposition that are a consequence of viewing a layered structure in the conventional manner (i.e., parallel to the surface normal). A technique for fabricating TEM specimens that can be viewed in cross‐section is described here. Although the majority of our work is with silicon‐based materials, the technique can be readily adapted to the study of other systems.