title: Two-in-one sample preparation for plan-view TEM.
abstract: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation requires special skills, it is time consuming and costly, hence, an increase of the efficiency is of primary importance. This article describes a method that duplicates the yield of the conventional mechanical and ion beam preparation of plan-view TEM samples. As a modification of the usual procedures, instead of one two different samples are comprised in a single specimen. The two pre-cut slabs, one from each samples, are embedded side by side in the window of a 3 mm dia Ti disk and the specimen is thinned mechanically and by ion milling until perforation that occurs at the interface of the two different slabs. That, with proper implementation, provides acceptable size thin area for the TEM study of both samples. The suitability of the two-in-one method has been confirmed through examples.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Energy Research, Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. street 29-33., H-1121, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sáfrán
authors.affiliation: Centre for Energy Research, Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. street 29-33., H-1121, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Noémi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Szász
authors.affiliation: Centre for Energy Research, Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. street 29-33., H-1121, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sáfrán
keywords: different slabs; embedding in Ti disk; simultaneous thinning; spare time and costs