Method of Depositing Protective Structures

1 .- 19 . (canceled)

20 . A process of preparing a sample from a substrate, the process comprising:

manufacturing a protection layer on an edge portion of the sample to be prepared from the substrate; and

preparing the sample,

wherein the manufacturing the protection layer comprises

a first phase of activating a surface area portion of the substrate, and

a second phase of electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of the protective layer on the activated surface area portion from the gas phase.

21 . The process of claim 20 , wherein in the second phase, the deposition occurs from a precursor gas, which gas dissociates in the surface area portion activated in the first phase, and does not dissociate in a portion not activated in the first phase.

22 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the first phase and the second phase are made to occur simultaneously, alternatingly or with a waiting interval in between.

23 . The process of claim 20 , wherein in the first phase a first layer of catalytically active material is deposited on the surface area portion of the substrate.

24 . The process of claim 20 , wherein in the first phase an autocatalytic process is triggered which accelerates the electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of the protective layer in the second phase by at least an order of magnitude.

25 . The process of claim 23 , wherein the sample is prepared using ion beam milling using a focused ion beam (FIB).

26 . The process of claim 24 , wherein the sample is prepared using ion beam milling using a focused ion beam (FIB).

27 . The process of claim 25 , wherein the protection strip is manufactured in a thickness and from a material, such that the focused ion beam causes no microscopically detectable damage to the edge portion of the sample.

28 . The process of claim 25 , wherein the thickness of the protective strip is made larger than a mean penetration depth of the focused ion beam in the material of the protection strip.

29 . The process of claim 26 , wherein the protection strip is manufactured in a thickness and from a material, such that the focused ion beam causes no microscopically detectable damage to the edge portion of the sample.

30 . The process of claim 26 , wherein the thickness of the protective strip is made larger than a mean penetration depth of the focused ion beam in the material of the protection strip.

31 . The process of claim 24 , wherein the autocatalytic process is triggered at least partially thermally.

32 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the protection strip is manufactured using at least one of iron, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, gold and platinum.

33 . A process of preparing a cross-section sample from a substrate, the process comprising:

pre-activating a surface area portion of the substrate;

depositing a first layer of a protective strip onto the pre-activated surface area portion;

depositing a second layer of the protective strip onto the first layer of the protective strip; and

preparing a cross section from the substrate by ion beam milling along at least one side of the protective strip.

34 . The process of claim 33 , wherein the first layer is deposited by electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of material from a gas phase.

35 . The process of claim 34 , wherein the second layer is deposited by beam assisted deposition from a gas phase using at least one of an electron beam, an ion beam or an photon beam.

36 . The process of claim 33 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises depositing a layer of catalytically active material on the surface area portion of the substrate enhancing the deposition of the first layer.

37 . The process of claim 35 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises depositing a layer of catalytically active material on the surface area portion of the substrate enhancing the deposition of the first layer.

38 . The process of claim 34 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises triggering an autocatalytic process which accelerates the electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of the protective layer in the second phase by at least an order of magnitude.

39 . The process of claim 35 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises triggering an autocatalytic process which accelerates the electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of the protective layer in the second phase by at least an order of magnitude.

40 . A method of analysing a cross-section sample from a substrate, the method comprising:

pre-activating a surface area portion of the substrate; depositing a protective strip onto the pre-activated surface area portion by electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition from a gas phase;

preparing a cross section from the substrate by ion beam milling along at least one side of the protective strip and

transferring the cross-section sample to an analyzing device and analysing the cross-section sample by the analyzing device.

41 . The method of claim 40 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises depositing a layer of catalytically active material on the surface area portion of the substrate enhancing the deposition of the first layer.

42 . The method of claim 40 , wherein pre-activating a surface area portion of the sample comprises triggering an autocatalytic process which accelerates the electron beam or photon beam assisted deposition of the protective layer by at least an order of magnitude.

43 . The method of claim 40 , wherein analysing the cross-section sample comprises analysing the cross-section sample in a region directly underneath the protective strip.

44 . The method of claim 40 , wherein preparing a cross-section sample comprises lifting-out the sample from the substrate.