To remain competitive in industry, the continual assessment of product reliability is critical. This article discusses the focused ion beam preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens from InP ridge laser devices for observation and analysis of a wide range of microstructural and chemical phenomena (root cause) in reliability-tested lasers. A method is described that enables routine sectioning of ridge lasers mounted ridge up or down and/or beneath solder. The laser devices provided for reliability studies were fully wire bonded on ceramic carriers. Given the geometry, several specimens could be acquired from a single device. Here, it was imperative to thin the metal, dielectric and semiconductor layers in one specimen where the active region of the device was 1 to 3 mum below the metal contact. The structure and morphology of the devices were studied using analytical TEM with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.