The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 06, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 12, 2002
Francesco P. Orfino, Port Moody, CA;
Joerg Zimmermann, Vancouver, CA;
Lynn C. Erickson, Vancouver, CA;
Ballard Power Systems Inc., Burnaby, CA;
Abstract
A method and apparatus are described for imaging wet samples with an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM). In particular, a carrier gas is humidified such that the water vapor in the carrier gas in the sample chamber of the ESEM has a partial pressure equal to the saturated vapor pressure of water. Thus, the sample can be imaged without observing any evaporation or condensation thereon. Both the carrier gas and the water vapor may act as the imaging gas within the ESEM. The apparatus is an imaging gas delivery system for the ESEM wherein the carrier gas may be appropriately humidified.