Preparation of transmission electron microscope samples

A method of forming a specimen of a substrate for material analysis in two distinct segments, the method comprising:

• milling a trench in a surface of the substrate on each side of a feature of interest to form an electron transparent membrane extending generally perpendicular to said surface;
• removing a first portion of the substrate to form a first finished specimen surface generally parallel to said membrane and expose a first surface of said membrane;
• and
• removing a second portion of the substrate to form a second finished specimen surface at an angle to said first finished specimen surface and expose a second surface of said membrane.

A method of preparing a specimen for cross-sectional analysis, the method comprising:

• focused ion beam milling a first trench on a first side of a feature of interest within a die;
• focused ion beam milling a second trench of a second side of the feature of interest to form a membrane;
• removing a first side wall of said first trench by polishing the die generally parallel to said membrane;
• and
• removing a second side wall of said second trench by polishing the die.

A process of preparing a transmission electron microscope (TEM) specimen, comprising:

• providing an electron transparent segment within a substrate;
• protecting the segment with a removable filler layer and a protective cover layer;
• removing portions of the substrate and the filler layer to reduce the substrate to a desired thickness;
• and
• removing the filler layer and the protective cover layer by dissolving the filler layer in solvent.