Adhesives for TEM Sample Preparation
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Page 1\nApplications Note \nAdhesives for TEM Sample Preparation \nDate: 06/2020, v1.0 \nMultiple adhesives are available for the following transmission electron microscope \n(TEM) sample preparation process steps: bonding multiple samples together, mounting \nthe sample stack to the fixture and securing the thinned sample to a TEM grid. Since \neach step has different needs, the application and the sample material will determine \nwhich adhesive is best to use for each step. \nFor more detailed information on the TEM sample preparation process, please refer to \nAllied’s applications lab report “TEM Wedge Preparation of Silicon.” \nBonding Samples \nA thin bond line is necessary when bonding multiple samples together for TEM \npreparation to provide as much stability as possible during grinding and polishing. \nAlligator clips or other clamps/fixtures are used to squeeze the sample stack together \nwhile the adhesive cures to help create a thin bond line. \nM-Bond 610 (#71-20000) is a permanent, 2-part adhesive that \nrequires heat to cure. It is chemically resistant, provides a very thin \nglue line that ion mills evenly and will not outgas under vacuum.\nEpoxyBond 110 (#71-10000) is a fast-curing, \npermanent, 2-part epoxy adhesive that requires heat \nto cure. Once cured, it is chemically resistant to most etchants \nand solvents, and will not outgas under vacuum. It has a higher \nviscosity than M-Bond 610, but a thin bond line is still achievable. \nwww.alliedhightech.com \nAllied High Tech Products, Inc. \nCall for more information: 800.675.1118 \n\n\nPage 2\nwww.alliedhightech.com \nAllied High Tech Products, Inc. \nCall for more information: 800.675.1118 \n2 of 2 \nMounting Samples to a Fixture \nAdhesives used to mount samples to a fixture are generally soluble in \nacetone so that they can be easily removed from the paddle once the \nsample has been thinned. While it must be easy to remove after \nprocessing, the adhesive must also be able to securely hold the \nsample during grinding and polishing. \nMounting Wax (#71-10040) can be used to securely hold small \nsamples to fixtures during sample preparation. It is soluble in acetone \nand requires a hot plate. \nLOCTITE® 460™ (#71-40045) is a fast-curing glue that does not need \nheat to cure. It is useful for heat-sensitive samples and is soluble in acetone. \nMounting Samples to a TEM Grid \nThe chemical resistance and longevity of both M-Bond 610 and \nEpoxyBond 110 allow them to work well for bonding thinned, polished\nsamples to grids for ion milling and TEM observation. \nPlease see Allied’s “Mounting Thinned Samples to TEM Grids” applications note for \ndetailed information. \nComparison Chart \nAdhesive \nUsage \nCharacteristics \nProduct \nBonding \nSamples \nMounting \nSamples \nto Fixture \nMounting \nSamples \nto Grid \nNeeds \nHeat to \nActivate \nChemically \nResistant \nSoluble in \nAcetone \nM-Bond 610\n(#71-20000)\n✔ \n✔ \n✔ \n✔ \nEpoxyBond 110 \n(#71-10000) \n✔ \n✔ \n✔ \n✔ \nMounting Wax \n(#71-10040) \n✔ \n✔ \n✔ \nLOCTITE® 460™ \n(#71-40045) \n✔\n✔ \n