Preparation of thin ceramic monofilaments for TEM observation with novel embedding processes

An applicable method to prepare transmission electron microscopy specimens from ceramic fibers for longitudinal and cross-sectional observations is investigated. The method includes novel embedding processes to fix fibers, a polishing process using a self-manufactured device to get uniformly low thickness (40 mu m for L-fiber, 60 mu m for C-fiber), a one-side dimpling process to grind the specimen to near electron transparency (about 5 mu m in thickness for both L-fiber and C-fiber) and an efficient ion milling process using calculated parameters. These techniques are reliable to accomplish the preparation with high quality in a relatively short time. Many factors related to the preparation processes are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.