Ultramicrotomy for cross-sections of nanostructure

Ultramicrotomy is a thin sample preparative method for TEM observations. In materials science, it can be used as an alternative method to mechanical polishing and ion-milling for cross-section specimen preparation. This short communication reports results obtained for two different materials: a laser structure based in semiconductor technology (InP/GaInAs) prepared by MBE and a Au-SiFe multilayer prepared by co-sputtering. In both cases, Epon embedding medium and a diamond knife were used. The resulting cross-sections revealed good preservation of the different regions of the laser device and the presence of defects in the layers of the Au-FeSi structure. It was concluded that ultramicrotomy can be used as a routine preparative method for TEM observations of nanostructures. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.