Slope Cutter

The Slope Cutting Tool is a direct replacement for the standard PECS holder

Reference: Applications of Ion Beam Slope Cutting with Gatan’s PECS (W. Hauffe). Click here.

The Gatan Precision Etching Coating System (PECS) is a versatile tool offering features for various TEM and SEM applications depending on the operating conditions and parameters. Some of these features are ion beam cleaning, smoothing, thinning, selective etching, sputter coating and slope cutting. Slope cutting alone may not produce the high quality images required for today’s SEM applications; but when integrated into the PECS, the unique cutting, etching and coating features result in samples with a superior level of image clarity and detail.

What is Ion Beam Slope Cutting?

Slope cutting is a technique by which a sample is sputtered with parallel ions across a sharp borderline determined by a screen producing a slope between the sputtered and unsputtered region. This slope is a representative cut through the material and is free of deformations. The slope is hit by grazing incident ions and therefore not selectively etched meaning that even with heterogeneous materials smooth cutting surfaces are produced. Furrows are avoided by rocking the sample.

Basic Slope Cutting Principle

Slope cutting works with any material:

• Difficult to polish soft materials: Copper, Aluminum, Gold, Lead or Lead free solder.
  
• Difficult to cut hard materials: Ceramic, Carbides or Composites of these materials.

Cross-sections prepared by slope cutting are suitable for EDS, WDS, Auger and EBSD analysis and also suitable for observation and measurement of multi-layered structures.

An ion beam slope cut surface can be further improved by additional ion beam processing steps. A short ion bombardment directed perpendicular to the slope can help in removing redeposition and also selectively etch the cut surface to enhance the internal grain and phase structure.

Model 682 PECS Slope Cutting

PECS Slope Cutting Technique

PECS slope cutting offers multiple advantages over Cross-section Polisher (CP) type tools.

Three ION BEAM processing steps:

Step 1 - Slope cutting
Step 2 - Selective etching
Step 3 – Sputter coating if required

Step 1 - Slope cutting - PECS advantages:

1. Cuts 90° cross sections (Semiconductors)
2. Cuts 45° cross sections (Homogeneous/Heterogeneous)
3. Cuts 30° cross sections (Homogeneous/Heterogeneous)
4. Long cut length 8mm (compared to 1.5mm)
5. Depth of cut is determined by

• Ion beam voltage (2.5keV – 10.0keV)
• Ion beam current (Maximum 610uA at 10.0keV)
• Material
• Time

6. Because PECS slope cutting does not destroy the initial top surface it enables 3D investigation of heterogeneous solids to further improve sample outcome:

• SEM observation of TOP (initial surface)
• SEM observation of the CUT SLOPE
• SEM observation of the SPUTTERED AREA

Step 2 – Selective etching (Unavailable on CP type tools)

1. Selective Ion beam Etching and/or Polishing

• Enables decoration of the cut surface
• Reveals internal grain/phase structure
• Etching provides topographical differentiation

2. Multiple gas types for selective ion beam etching

• Argon
• Xenon
• Krypton
• Iodine

Step 3 – Sputter coating (Unavailable on CP type tools)

1. Sputter coating if required
2. High resolution ion beam coating eliminates charging in the microscope
3. Choice of over 20 target materials

Reference: Applications of Ion Beam Slope Cutting with Gatan’s PECS (W. Hauffe). Click here.

PECS Etching and Slope Cutting Applications

1. Damage-free thinning or controlled removal of material from samples without mechanical damage (depth profiling or removal of mechanically damaged layers).
2. Selective ion beam etching of grain, phase and defect structures in polycrystalline and heterogeneous materials with inert gas or reactive ions.
3. Ion beam slope cutting (IBSC) to produce representative damage-free cut areas in microscopic selected regions with any wanted inclination through bulk sample materials (metals, alloys, composites, semiconductors, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials).

• Interfaces (hard/soft material combinations)
• Layer systems (thick and thin film technology)
• Modified near-surface regions (e.g. after defor¬mation, irradiation or erosion)
• Microstructures (IC’s, bond contacts)
• Non-massive materials (porous material, wires, particles, powder, free-standing foils).

4. Ion beam sputter coating for conductive coverage of insulators investigated in the SEM or for other reasons (produce surface coatings before ion beam slope cutting to save or to mark the original sample surface).

Generally competitor’s tools can solve only one special task - ion beam cutting of perpen¬dicular cross sections through heterogeneous samples. Unlike the PECS no selective etching or sputter coating processes can be carried out. The multifunctional and multiprocessing abilities of the PECS allow more solutions than other instruments. Types of samples and the field of application are not limited and the PECS accommodates larger samples.

Reference: Application Note: PECS Slope Cutting of Cast Iron (R. Mitro). Click here.

For library click here

For complete product information, please click here to download a PDF of the Slope Cutter Tool Brochure or contact your local Sales office.