An object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for preparing TEM samples in a manner that reduces or prevents bending and curtaining. Preferred embodiments of the present invention deposit material onto the face of a TEM sample during the process of preparing the sample. In some preferred embodiments, the material can be deposited on a sample face that has already been thinned before the opposite face is thinned, which can serve to reinforce the structural integrity of the sample and refill areas that have been over-thinned due to the curtaining phenomena. In preferred embodiments, material can also be deposited onto the face being milled, which can serve to reduce or eliminate curtaining on the sample face.