Fei Comapny

Hugo Van Leeuwen

Bart Buijsse

Cornelis Sander Kooijman

Colin Sanford

Steven Berger

Hendrik Gezinus Tappel

Sander Richard Marie Stoks

Ben Jacobus Marie Bormans

Koen Arnoldus Wilhelmus Driessen

Martinus Petrus Maria Bierhoff

Johannes Antonius Hendricus W G Persoon

Rudolf Geurink

Johannes Antonius Hendricus Wilhelmus Gerardus Persoon

Hans Persoon

Alphons Theophile Augusta Maria De Waele

Theo Ruijl

Johannes Antonius Hendricus Wg Persoon

Mart Petrus Maria Bierhoff

Ronald Lamers

Colin August Sanford

Johannes Antonius Hendricus WG Persoon

Johannes AHWG Persoon

Johannes Antonius Hendricus Wilhelmus G Persoon

A modular ultra-high vacuum (UHV) electron microscope for investigating a sample, according to the present disclosure includes a UHV chamber configured to reach and maintain an ultra-high vacuum within the UHV chamber, a UHV stage to hold the sample being investigated, a charged particle source configured to emit an electron beam toward the sample, and an optical column configured to direct the plurality of electrons to be incident on the sample. The modular UHV electron microscopes further include a carousel vacuum bay configured to reach and maintain an UHV independently of the UHV chamber, and which is connected to the UHV chamber via a port and contains at least one device manipulator. Each of the device manipulators comprise an attachment site for a microscope device, and are configured to, selectively translate attached microscope devices between the carousel vacuum bay and the UHV chamber via the valve.

Modular ultra-high vacuum electron microscope

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for vibration-free cryogenic cooling, suitable for TEM and other analytic equipment. A thermal battery includes one or more of: a cryocooler, a thermal switch, a thermal cold storage reservoir, and a cold finger. The thermal reservoir is mounted outside a sample chamber. The cold finger provides thermal coupling between the reservoir and a sample holder inside the sample chamber. In varying embodiments, sample holder and sample temperatures are regulated by a heater or by an inline variable thermal resistor. Cyclic phased operation includes cooling the reservoir, decoupling the cryocooler from the reservoir, and temperature-regulated passive vibration-free thermal energy extraction from sample to reservoir. The described system delivers a stand time of 12 hours at 20 K. Temperature regulation, a hybrid thermal switch, damping of thermal fluctuations, and material selection are described.

Vibration-free cryogenic cooling

A user interface for operation of a scanning electron microscope device that combines lower magnification reference images and higher magnification images on the same screen to make it easier for a user who is not used to the high magnification of electron microscopes to readily determine where on the sample an image is being obtained and to understand the relationship between that image and the rest of the sample. Additionally, other screens, such as, for example, an archive screen and a settings screen allow the user to compare saved images and adjust the settings of the system, respectively.

User interface for an electron microscope

A compact electron microscope uses a removable sample holder having walls that form a part of the vacuum region in which the sample resides. By using the removable sample holder to contain the vacuum, the volume of air requiring evacuation before imaging is greatly reduced and the microscope can be evacuated rapidly. In a preferred embodiment, a sliding vacuum seal allows the sample holder to be positioned under the electron column, and the sample holder is first passed under a vacuum buffer to remove air in the sample holder.

Compact scanning electron microscope

Growing community of inventors

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Hugo Van Leeuwen