Ion milling machine
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Ion_milling_machine%2C_Cornell_University.jpg/220px-Ion_milling_machine%2C_Cornell_University.jpg)
Ion milling machine thins samples until they are transparent to electrons by firing ions (typically argon) at the surface from an angle and sputtering material from the surface. By making a sample electron transparent, it can be imaged and characterized in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Ion beam milling may also be used for cross-section polishing prior to SEM analysis of materials that are difficult to prepare using mechanical polishing.