title: Application of the small-angle cleavage technique to thickness measurement of TEM samples.
abstract: In modelling transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images with the dynamical theory of electron diffraction, the sample thickness at the region of interest must be accurately known. A technique of sample preparation for cross-sectional single-crystal samples has been developed to provide this information. This technique, based on the small-angle cleavage technique, can allow a direct measurement of the sample thickness at the region where cross-sectional TEM analysis has been undertaken. Several cross-sectional samples of GaAs-based multiple quantum wells were prepared with parallel cleaved faces and thicknesses in the range of 50 to 200 nm. The samples were initially mounted so that cross-sectional images were obtained, then on suitable samples the mount was adjusted to obtain a plan view image of the same area. With suitable care, this technique provided an accurate thickness measurement of a cross-sectional region of a sample, which allowed subsequent modelling and analysis.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Microstructural Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McCaffrey
mesh_terms: D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods*