Assessment of Deformation using the Focused Ion Beam Technique

Abstract

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) micromachining techniques have gained significant attention over the past few years as a promising method for the preparation of a variety of metallic and nonmetallic materials for subsequent characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) The advantage of the FIB in terms of site specificity and speed for the preparation of uniform electron transparent sections has opened a wide range of potential applications in materials characterization. The ability to image the sample in the FIB can also provide important microstructural data for materials analysis. In this study, both conventionally electropolished and FIB-ed specimens were prepared in order to characterize the microstructure of a commercially-produced tube of Alloy 600 (approximately Ni-15 Cr-10 Fe- 0.05 C). The electropolished samples were prepared using a solution of 20% HClO4 - 80% CH3OH at ∼-40°C. The FIB sections were obtained from a cross-section of the tube that had been mechanically thinned to ∼100 μm. The section was thinned in a Micrion 2500 FIB system with a Ga ion beam at 50 kV accelerating voltage.