The nanoneedle sample configuration allows the use of multiple characterization techniques with a single sample. These techniques include nanoscale mechanical and electrical tests, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe/field ion microscopy. Residual amorphization and ion implantation must be minimized.

A guide for preparing specimens for a demonstration of the NanoMill system.

Precipitation hardening is a process for improving the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys. Targeting a region of interest using the NanoMill system resulted in TEM specimens of high-quality and thickness that were suitable for high resolution TEM and aberration-corrected STEM imaging and analysis.

This paper reports on the substantial improvement of specimen quality by use of a low voltage (0.05 to ~1 keV), small diameter (~1 µm), argon ion beam following initial preparation using conventional broad-beam ion milling or focused ion beam. The specimens show significant reductions in the amorphous layer...

Using high-angle-annular-dark-field (HAADF) scanning-transmission-electron microscopy (STEM), we have investigated n-precipitates in the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu (AA7050) aluminum alloy.

Through a combination of aberration-corrected high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and three-dimensional atom probe tomography, the true atomic-scale structure and change in chemical composition across the complex order-disorder interface in a metallic alloy has been determined...

Amorphous shear bands are the main deformation and failure mode of super-hard boron carbide subjected to shock loading and high pressures at room temperature. Nevertheless, the formation mechanisms of the amorphous shear bands remain a long-standing scientific curiosity mainly because of the lack of experimental...

A combined methodical approach is tested for the first time with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers infiltrated with ruthenium molecular sensitizer as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area...

Previous works have shown the reduction of surface damage and oxidation by both broad and concentrated Ar ion beam milling techniques under controlled environments. This work is extended to differentiate the Mg bulk surface and subsurface properties as it relates to Ga diffusion from optimal specimens that were...

For atomic-resolution aberration-corrected (Cs-corrected) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) the quality of prepared TEM specimens is of crucial importance. High-energy focused gallium ion beam milling (FIB) is widely used for the production of TEM lamella. However, the specimens after conventional FIB...

We report the structural characterization of a diamond composite hierarchically assembled with coherently interfaced diamond polytypes (different stacking sequences), interwoven nanotwins and interlocked nanograins. The architecture of the composite enhances toughness more than nanotwinning alone, without...

A post-FIB sample preparation technique using a concentrated ion beam milling system that overcomes the sample thickness, uniformity, and large area requirements for optimal TKD analysis. In addition, the resulting samples are free of structural damage and amorphization.

The objective of this work is to provide a rational approach to define the limiting conditions for high-cycle fatigue (HCF) in the presence of foreign-object damage (FOD). This study focused on the role of simulated FOD in affecting the initiation and early growth of small surface fatigue cracks in a Ti-6Al-4V alloy...

A mechanism of cracking is proposed for pure magnesium, taking into account ASB formation and dynamic recrystallization. Under dynamic high-strain loading conditions, the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density increases within the grains. To accommodate the strain, the grains tend to rotate and GND...

Cs-corrected high-angle-annular-dark-field scanning-transmission-electron microscopy (Cs-corrected HAADF-STEM) was employed to examine the phases in Al-Cu-Li alloy (AA2050)...

We employ advanced microscopy techniques with sub-nanometer resolutions to examine physical characteristics of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) at the atomic scale. The microscopy techniques include a FIB/SEM, the NanoMill system, TEM, and energy dispersive spectroscopy.

Decades of research has been focused on improving the high-temperature properties of nickel-based superalloys, an essential class of materials used in the hot section of jet turbine engines, allowing increased engine efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. Here we introduce a new 'phase-transformation strengthening''...

Focused ion beam (FIB) milling is a widely used technique, which enables TEM samples to be prepared in plan-view and cross-section, and from specific, sub-micron semiconductor devices. Bombarding the specimen surface with energetic ions or neutral atoms causes surface damage or surface amorphization. This surface...

We demonstrate how to produce a thin lamella with a nearly damage-free surface using the X2 holder in combination with sub-kV polishing in the Fischione Instruments' NanoMill® TEM specimen preparation system.

For accurate TEM and STEM imaging of materials systems on the atomic scale, artifacts must be reduced to the absolute minimum. A higher standard in TEM specimen preparation is achieved by complementing conventional and FIB milling with concentrated, ultra-low-energy Ar ion beam processing.

The development of an original sample preparation method for transmission electron microscopy using focused ion beam (FIB) micromachining. The described method rests on the use of a removable protective shield to prevent the damaging of the sample surface during the FIB lamellae micromachining. It enables the...

The work describes application of a method for site-specific plan-view sample preparation for atomic column resolution scanning transmission and transmission electron microscopy (STEM and TEM) from freestanding thin films of multi-phase Al-alloys after laser irradiation induced rapid solidification (RS)...

Rapid solidification (RS) is the rapid extraction of thermal energy during the transition from liquid at high temperature to solid at ambient temperature by electron and laser beams. RS of alloys results in the formation of metastable phases, refinement of primary and secondary products from solidification, and...

Many factors affect the outcome and effective spatial resolution of STEM-in-SEM analyses, such as the material density, material atomic number, electron beam voltage, detector type, and specimen preparation (especially specimen thickness and uniformity). The latter of these, specimen preparation, appears to be one...

The low-energy Ar-ion milling method was used to prepare ultrathin specimens for transmission electron microscope observation. The samples were thinned initially by a usual focused ion beam technique or typical Ar-ion milling with a high energy of 2 to 10 keV and were thinned additionally by an Ar-ion beam with...

The corrosion behavior of metals and alloys at high temperatures in complex multioxidant environments is of a great interest for achieving extended service performances and improved operation efficiencies. In this basic study, the scaling reactions of pure chromium in several multi-oxidant gas mixtures were assessed.