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Applied focused ion beam techniques for sample
preparation of astromaterials for integrated nanoanalysis.
Graham G. A., Teslich N. E., Kearsley A. T., Stadermann F. J.,
Stroud R. M., Dai Z., Ishii H. A., Hutcheon I. D., Bajt S., Snead C.
J., Weber P. K., and Bradley J. P. (2008)
Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 43(3), 561-569.
ABSTRACT
Sample preparation is always a critical step in the study of
micrometer-sized astromaterials available for study in the laboratory,
whether their subsequent analysis is by electron microscopy or
secondary ion mass spectrometry. A focused beam of gallium ions has
been used to prepare electron transparent sections from an
interplanetary dust particle (IDP), as part of an integrated analysis
protocol to maximize the mineralogical, elemental, isotopic, and
spectroscopic information extracted from one individual particle. In
addition, focused ion beam (FIB) techniques have been employed to
extract cometary residue preserved on the rims and walls of
microcraters in 1100 series aluminum foils that were wrapped around the
sample tray assembly on the Stardust cometary sample collector.
Non-ideal surface geometries and inconveniently located regions of
interest required creative solutions. These include support pillar
construction and relocation of a significant portion of sample to
access a region of interest. Serial sectioning, in a manner similar to
ultramicrotomy, is a significant development and further demonstrates
the unique capabilities of focused ion beam microscopy for sample
preparation of astromaterials.
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