Crushing and cleaving

Crushing and cleaving are often used in checking bulk samples and cross-sections of thin films. Sometimes these methods avoid unwanted damage caused by ion milling. 

To make a plan-view sample by cleaving, first cut the sample into a 1 mm wide strip. Then cut the sample at the edge and parallel with this as shown in Fig. 4.1(b). The cleaved sample often contains large thin areas suitable for diffraction contrast imaging and HREM. Since the thin-film surface side is not a cleaved surface, a short time of ion milling of the surface side can reduce sample thickness and remove surface contamination. 

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Although crushing and cleaving is often the most favorable preparation technique with respect to the preservation of the structure, many times these... 

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