ULTRAMICROTOMY - AN ALTERNATIVE CROSS-SECTION PREPARATION FOR OXIDIC THIN-FILMS ON GLASS

Ultra-thin cross sections of various oxidic thin films (TiO2, Ta2O5, S iO2, ZrO2, ITO) deposited on glass by reactive evaporation (RE), ion p lating (IP), sputtering (SP) and plasma impulse chemical vapour deposi tion (PICVD) are prepared by ultramicrotomy (UM) and are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The principles of UM and th e relevant steps of pretreatment before cutting are reported, and the capability of UM is demonstrated on single layers and multilayer syste ms. Suitability and limitations of UM are outlined and common problems and artifacts are discussed. The results of the TEM investigations on technical oxidic thin films and the related interfaces are correlated with data obtained by other methods.