New approach for FIB-preparation of atom probe specimens for aluminum alloys.

ABSTRACT: Site-specific atom probe tomography (APT) from aluminum alloys has been limited by sample preparation issues. Indeed, Ga, which is conventionally used in focused-ion beam (FIB) preparations, has a high affinity for Al grain boundaries and causes their embrittlement. This leads to high concentrations of Ga at grain boundaries after specimen preparation, unreliable compositional analyses and low specimen yield. Here, to tackle this problem, we propose to use cryo-FIB for APT specimen preparation specifically from grain boundaries in a commercial Al-alloy. We demonstrate how this setup, easily implementable on conventional Ga-FIB instruments, is efficient to prevent Ga diffusion to grain boundaries. Specimens were prepared at room temperature and at cryogenic temperature (below approx. 90K) a

SUBMITTER: Lilensten L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7117760 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature