Fei Comapny

John Mitchels

Tomás Vystavel

Rudolf Johannes Peter Gerardus Schampers

Michal Hrouzek

Martin Cafourek

Jakub Drahotský

Jakub Kuba

Michal Valík

Ruud Schampers

Tomas Gardelka

Various approaches are provided for contamination-free vacuum transfer of samples. As one example, an apparatus includes a compartment configured to store multiple samples held by a cartridge removably coupled to the compartment, a sample port for transferring the cartridge between a charged particle system and a position within the compartment, and a valve configured to seal the compartment at vacuum pressure during transport of the multiple samples between charged particle systems. In this way, samples such as lamellae may be transferred between charged particle systems while maintaining the samples at vacuum pressure, thereby reducing the possibility of sample contamination during sample transfer.

Systems and apparatuses for contamination-free vacuum transfer of samples

A charged-particle microscope, comprising a vacuum chamber in which are provided:

Charged-particle microscope with in situ deposition functionality

Surface modification of a cryogenic specimen can be obtained using a charged particle microscope. A specimen is situated in a vacuum chamber on a specimen holder and maintained at a cryogenic temperature. The vacuum chamber is evacuated and a charged-particle beam is directed to a portion of the specimen so as to modify a surface thereof. A thin film monitor is situated in the vacuum chamber and has at least a detection surface maintained at a cryogenic temperature. A precipitation rate of frozen condensate in the vacuum chamber is measured using the thin film monitor, and based on the measured precipitation rate, the surface modification is initiated when the precipitation rate is less than a first pre-defined threshold, or interrupted if the precipitation rate rises above a second pre-defined threshold.

Cryogenic specimen processing in a charged particle microscope

Growing community of inventors

Brno, Czechia

John Mitchels