Preparation of site specific transmission electron microscopy plan-view specimens using a focused ion beam system

A new technique for the preparation of site specific plan-view specimens using a focused ion beam system is presented. The technique consists of milling a wedge shaped piece of material which is free from the substrate, lifting this out using a micromanipulator and needle, and orientating it on the substrate with the original surface vertical. The plan-view specimen is then milled from this piece of material using an approach based on the “lift-out” technique for the preparation of a cross-section specimen. Advantages of this technique over current methods based on the “lift-out” and the “trench” techniques are that the plan-view specimens are site specific, the surrounding substrate is left intact, and numerous plan-view specimens can be prepared in close proximity to one another.