Anisotropic wet-chemical etching for preparation of freestanding films on Si substrates for atom probe tomography: A simple yet effective approach
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In: Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 230, No. 113402, 113402, 11.2021, p. 1-4.
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Anisotropic wet-chemical etching for preparation of freestanding films on Si substrates for atom probe tomography: A simple yet effective approach
AU - Tkadletz, Michael
AU - Lechner, Alexandra
AU - Pölzl, Silvia
AU - Schalk, Nina
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - A major drawback of atom probe tomography (APT) experiments of complex samples is the demanding and rather time consuming specimen preparation via the lift-out process. It usually requires a skilled operator for focused ion beam (FIB) preparation, and frequently overbooked FIB workstations represent a major bottleneck in sample throughput. Within this work, the authors present an alternative approach for APT specimen preparation of functional films and coatings on Si substrates via anisotropic wet-chemical etching. Utilizing this simple, yet effective approach, a freestanding section of the film to be investigated can be fabricated in a few steps. After the etching procedure, freestanding film posts and subsequently APT specimen can be easily prepared by basic FIB milling operations without the need for a lift-out process. Hence, this approach reduces FIB efforts to a minimum in terms of complexity and required machine utilization.
AB - A major drawback of atom probe tomography (APT) experiments of complex samples is the demanding and rather time consuming specimen preparation via the lift-out process. It usually requires a skilled operator for focused ion beam (FIB) preparation, and frequently overbooked FIB workstations represent a major bottleneck in sample throughput. Within this work, the authors present an alternative approach for APT specimen preparation of functional films and coatings on Si substrates via anisotropic wet-chemical etching. Utilizing this simple, yet effective approach, a freestanding section of the film to be investigated can be fabricated in a few steps. After the etching procedure, freestanding film posts and subsequently APT specimen can be easily prepared by basic FIB milling operations without the need for a lift-out process. Hence, this approach reduces FIB efforts to a minimum in terms of complexity and required machine utilization.
KW - APT preparation
KW - Anisotropic wet-chemical echting
KW - Atom probe tomography (APT)
KW - Coatings
KW - Lift-out process
KW - Thin films
KW - Wedge method
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116203455&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2021.113402
DO - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2021.113402
M3 - Article
VL - 230
SP - 1
EP - 4
JO - Ultramicroscopy
JF - Ultramicroscopy
SN - 0304-3991
IS - 113402
M1 - 113402
ER -