FIB SE Imaging of a FIB Cross-section through the Surface of 200 ISO Colour Photographic Film

This FIB secondary electron image shows a FIB cross-section of a sample of color photographic film. No special specimen preparation was required; a piece of film was inserted into the FIB, and sectioning took less than ten minutes. The FIB stage was then tilted, in-situ, to 45° to allow viewing of the section surface. A porous surface layer and layers of "color absorbing grains" lying primarily in the plane of the film are clearly distinguishable.

As this sample demonstrates, FIB specimen preparation and imaging is not limited to conductive, metallic samples. Using charge neutralization when necessary, non-conductive ceramic, polymeric and geological specimens may be examined. Success has also been reported in the literature on the use of cold stages to example "wet" biological materials.