

Sample Preparation for Materials Science
An excellent sample preparation is key for observing the finest textures and details on the sample surface in high resolution. The right workflow and tools for the pre-preparation will not only lead to an excellently prepared sample, it will also reduce the procedure time, streamline the workflow, and produce reliable and precise results. The Leica solution consists of several instruments that are perfectly geared to one another to form a seamless workflow for your sample preparation. So be prepared for better results with Leica Microsystems in less time!
Contact our team of experts to help you simplify your sample preparation.
Target surfacing: Speed things up, but maintain quality
For materials science, quality and speed are not a trade-off when it comes to sample preparation, as one might think at first. Like in other areas of material processing, appropriate tool changeover when switching from pre-work to finishing helps to speed up and better control the subsequent procedure.
The EM TXP system from Leica Microsystems is a dedicated tool for target surfacing of samples prior to examination. It is the right choice to get close to the area of interest for final preparation. The EM TXP system offers milling, sawing, grinding, and polishing all in one instrument. It excels with challenging specimens making pinpointing and preparing barely visible targets easy. The integrated stereomicroscope allows for direct surface finish and target examination.
Further reading
Article: Inspection of Multilayer Coating in the Automotive Industry
See how to cut by half the sample preparation time for IC gold wire bonding

Team up for high quality surfacing
If you require high quality surfacing, use the EM TIC 3X ion beam milling machine after mechanical cutting and polishing. Thanks to the pre-processing, you save significant time for final preparation with the ion beam. Position the wedge mask very close to the target area and use the ion beam milling process mainly to get rid of any residual artefacts from the mechanical preparation steps.
The EM TIC 3X milling machine allows the production of cross sections and plane surfaces for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Microstructure Analysis (EDS, WDS, Auger, EBSD),