Yao Bo, Petrova Rumyana V, Vanfleet Richard R, Coffey Kevin R
Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando FL 32816, USA.
J Electron Microsc (Tokyo). 2006 Aug;55(4):209-14. doi: 10.1093/jmicro/dfl027. Epub 2006 Oct 13.
A modified back-etch method is described that has been successfully used to prepare samples of thin films and nanoparticles on Si wafer substrates for examination by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). This process includes ultrasonic cutting, abrasive pre-thinning and a two-stage etching procedure. Unlike previous reports of back-etching methods, tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, which has a very high-etching selectivity of Si to SiO(2), is used for the final etching to allow removal of the Si without degradation of the SiO(2) membrane. An innovative wrapping method is also described. This novel approach reduces the preparation time for HRTEM samples to <1 h per sample for groups of 10 or more samples. As an example, the preparation of FePt nanoparticle samples for HRTEM imaging is described.
本文描述了一种改进的背蚀刻方法，该方法已成功用于在硅片衬底上制备薄膜和纳米颗粒样品，以便通过高分辨率透射电子显微镜（HRTEM）进行检查。此过程包括超声切割、研磨预减薄和两阶段蚀刻程序。与先前关于背蚀刻方法的报道不同，具有非常高的硅对二氧化硅蚀刻选择性的四甲基氢氧化铵用于最终蚀刻，以允许去除硅而不使二氧化硅膜降解。还描述了一种创新的包裹方法。这种新颖的方法将HRTEM样品的制备时间减少到每组10个或更多样品时每个样品小于1小时。作为示例，描述了用于HRTEM成像的FePt纳米颗粒样品的制备。
