The influence of focused-ion beam preparation technique on microcompression investigations: Lathe vs. annular milling

Abstract

Two commonly used focused ion beam (FIB) milling techniques were employed for Mg micropillar fabrication to investigate the influence of the individual FIB technique on the microcompression testing method. Results from lathe milled pillars show that the relatively high ion exposure of this technique relative to annular milling greatly affects both stress–strain response and deformation morphology; stresses reached are up to four times higher than for the annular milled pillars and cracking of a surface layer is observed.