Malwina Sikora, Damian Wojcieszak
We are pleased to announce our new publication in Surface & Coatings Technology: “Impact of Carbon and Platinum Protective Layers on EDS Accuracy in FIB Cross-Sectional Analysis of W/Hf/W Thin-Film Multilayers” by Malwina Sikora.
This work thoroughly investigates cross-sections made with xenon plasma with platinum and carbon protective layers in the context of EDS elemental analysis.
The article includes:
-Detailed comparative analysis of platinum and carbon layers.
-Optimization methods for protective layers to enhance EDS accuracy.
-Significant implications for advanced SEM/FIB techniques.
-Inspiration for further research on optimizing analytical techniques.
Access the article at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968432824001069
Abstract
Achieving high-quality cross sections is essential for accurate analysis of multilayer coatings. One method of performing such cross sections is focused ion beam, where sample protection from ion damage in the form of protective layers applied by FEBID and FIBID methods is used. Due to the lack of comparative summaries of different layers applied by these methods, especially in the context of cross-sectional analysis and elemental analysis of the cross-section, it was decided to address the effect of the protective layer on the reliability of EDS analysis. This study compares the effectiveness of platinum and carbon protective layers in creating cross sections for W/Hf/W samples. The effect of protective layers on elemental mapping and elemental analysis accuracy was evaluated. This study highlights the importance of protective layer selection in providing reliable EDS analysis of cross sections.