The use of an electron beam evaporation source for electron microscope sample preparation

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Abstract
Some disadvantages of thin film evaporation techniques currently employed in electron microscope specimen preparation are discussed. A simple electron beam system for the evaporation of carbon and a range of shadowing agents is described which largely overcomes the difficulties in control and reproducibility inherent in resistively heated sources. The source evaporates carbon and platinum in a stable manner at power inputs between 120 and 300 W. Lower melting point materials such as germanium and chromium are evaporated using less than 50 W. It has been found that no significant changes in the stripping or structural properties of the films are introduced by the electron beam evaporation technique.