Sample preparation
AssigneeFEI Company
InventorsEnrique Agorio, Michael Tanguay, Christophe Roudin, Liang Hong, Jay Jordan, Craig Henry, Mark Darus
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods of extracting a TEM sample from a substrate include milling a hole on the sample and inserting a probe into the hole. The sample adheres to the probe, and can be processed on transferred while on the probe. In another embodiment, the sample is freed from a substrate and adheres to a probe by electrostatic attraction. The sample is placed onto a TEM sample holder in a vacuum chamber.
Claims15
A method for extracting a sample for TEM or STEM viewing from a substrate, comprising:
- using a focused ion beam to machine a hole in a sample positioned in a vacuum chamber;
- using a focused ion beam machining to at least partly sever the sample from the substrate;
- inserting a probe tip into the hole;
- and
- using the probe to remove the sample from the substrate, the probe supporting the sample by a probe tip inserted into the hole.
A method for extracting a sample from a substrate for TEM or STEM viewing, comprising:
- forming a hole in a substrate, the hole having a depth significantly less than the thickness of the substrate;
- freeing a sample from a substrate, the sample having a thickness significantly less than the thickness of the substrate and including the hole;
- inserting a probe into the hole;
- and
- removing the sample from the substrate, the probe supporting the sample by a single arm inserted into the hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.