Ultramicrotomy has been used to prepare TEM cross-sections of typical
hard dielectric, semiconductor, and metal coatings, providing a critic
al capability in the study of structure-property relationships of thin
films. Ultramicrotomy of thin film coatings requires meticulous atten
tion to technique and handling. The sample to be microtomed must be ve
ry small, well bonded to the epoxy embedding medium, and precisely ori
ented. In this article we report the ability to microtome TEM cross-se
ctions of diamond and cubic boron-nitride (cBN) coatings. (C) 1995 Wil
ey-Liss, Inc.