A Method for Preparing Large Area Thin Foils for Transmission Electron Microscopy

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Abstract
A convenient method has been developed for producing thin foils of metals with relatively large transparent areas for transmission electron microscopy. A thin plate with the desired orientation is cut from a single crystal and an accurately oriented plane surface is produced on one side by successive chemical and electrolytic polishing. The specimen is mounted with this side in contact with a glass support and polished in the same way to give a plane parallel plate, about 0.01 mm in thickness. Rings with an external diameter of 3.2 mm and an internal diameter of 1.6 mm are next cemented to the plate. Disks are then cut out, detached, and thinned electrolytically by a micro‐window method to give a strip of uniform thickness across a diameter of the rim. The specimen can be transferred to the electron microscope holder without damage and large areas are available for examination.