Fei Comapny

Pieter Hendrik Trudo Johannes Uland

Rients Jan De Groot

Stephanus Hubertus Leonardus Van Den Boom

Henricus Fransiscus Maria Van Den Boom

Roland Wilhelmus Pieter Jonkers

The invention relates to an improved O-ring seal for use as a high vacuum seal. A limitation of standard O-ring seals is the permeation of water through the O-ring. Especially for instruments in which parts are kept at a cryogenic temperature, such as a cryogenic electron microscope, the presence of water in the vacuum is a problem, as this results in ice growth on the cryogenic parts. As a solution often a double O-ring seal is used, or a metal seal. Both of these solutions have severe draw-backs. The invention proposes to place the O-ring in a channel in which dry gas, such as dry nitrogen, is blown. In this way no water can permeate through the O-ring, resulting in a reduced base pressure and highly reduced ice growth.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Pieter Hendrik Trudo Johannes Uland