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Site-Specific Specimen Preparation by Focused Ion Beam Milling for Transmission Electron Microscopy of Metal Matrix Composites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2004

Philippe Gasser ,
Ulrich E. Klotz ,
Fazal A. Khalid  and
Olivier Beffort
Philippe Gasser
Affiliation:
Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Ueberlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland
Ulrich E. Klotz
Affiliation:
Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Ueberlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland
Fazal A. Khalid
Affiliation:
Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Gulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan
Olivier Beffort
Affiliation:
Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
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Abstract

This work describes the application and usefulness of the focused ion beam (FIB) technique for the preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples from metal matrix composite materials. Results on an Al/diamond composite, manufactured by the squeeze casting infiltration process, were chosen for demonstration. It is almost impossible to prepare TEM specimens of this material by any other conventional method owing to the presence of highly inhomogeneous phases and reinforcement diamond particles. The present article gives a detailed account of the salient features of the FIB technique and its operation. One of the big advantages is the possibility to prepare site-specific TEM specimens with high spatial resolution. The artifacts occurring during the specimen preparation, for example, Ga-ion implantation, curtain effects, amorphous layers, bending of the lamella, or different milling behaviors of the materials have been discussed. Furthermore, TEM examination of the specimens prepared revealed an ultrafine amorphous layer of graphite formed at the interface between the Al and diamond particles that may affect the interfacial properties of the composite materials. This may not have been feasible without the successful application of the FIB technique for production of good quality site-specific TEM specimens.

Keywords

focused ion beam (FIB)transmission electron microscopy (TEM)aluminumdiamondmicrostructureinterface
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , April 2004 , pp. 311 - 316
Copyright
© 2004 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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