Importance of TEM sample thickness for measuring strain fields

In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation to quantify the influence of TEM sample thickness on the residual strain field using deformed Fe-based and Zr-based metallic glasses as model systems. The samples were gradually thinned from 300 nm to 70 nm, and the same area was examined using 4D-STEM with identical imaging settings. Our results demonstrate that thinning the sample affects the atomic configuration at both the short-range (SR) and medium-range (MR) scales. Consequently, when the sample is thinned too much, it no longer preserves the native deformation structure. These findings highlight the critical importance of maintaining sufficient TEM sample thickness for obtaining meaningful and accurate strain measurements.PMID:37708815 | DOI:10.1016/j.ultramic.2023.113844

Source: Ultramicroscopy - September 14, 2023 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Sangjun Kang Di Wang Christian K übel Xiaoke Mu Source Type: research