Radiant energy – Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles – Analyte supports
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2003-12-30
Anderson, Bruce (Department: 2881)
Radiant energy
Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles
Analyte supports
C250S310000, C250S311000, C250S440110, C250S440110, C250S441110, C359S393000, C414S217000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669121
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder support device for supporting various holders, such as specimen holders and aperture holders, used in apparatus making use of a charged-particle beam, such as an electron microscope.
2. Description of Related Art
A holder support device for supporting a specimen holder for use with an electron microscope, or the like, is described in Japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-268758, where the holder support member, indicated by numeral
23
, extends through the microscope column (outer wall) of the microscope and has a cylindrical wall
24
. This wall
24
has a slider-receiving groove
24
c
in its outer-end portion. The groove
24
c
accommodates a guide pin H
4
on the specimen holder H and a slider
51
. The holder H is mounted on the cylindrical wall
24
. Atmospheric pressure acting on the outer end of the holder H urges it toward its inner end. A holder inner end-positioning drive mechanism (X-position adjustment device) bearing against the inner end of the holder H places it in position along the axis of the holder.
The above-cited Japanese laid-open publication also describes a spring
63
for preventing the slider
51
from moving toward the inner end to alleviate the pressure applied on the holder inner-end positioning mechanism (X-position adjustment device) by the specimen holder H, which, in turn, is pushed toward the inner end by atmospheric pressure. The guide pin H
4
on the holder H engages the slider
51
.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,088 (corresponding to Japanese patent laid-open No. 124508/1996) also describes a specimen holder (holder support device) in which a specimen-holding rod (holder)
22
fitted with a pin
27
for opening and closing a partition valve
10
is held to a third pipe
17
. The specimen holder has an X drive means
30
for adjusting the position of the specimen-holding rod
22
that moves together with the third pipe
17
in the X-axis direction, by controlling the X-position of a shaft
56
mounted to the third pipe
17
.
In the technique of the above-cited Japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-268758, the pressure applied to the X-position-adjusting device (inner-end positioning mechanism) is alleviated and so accurate adjustment of the position of the specimen holder H is permitted. The X-position adjusting device is mounted on the outer wall (microscope column) on the opposite side of the holder support device. In the case of a transmission electron microscope, therefore, the space formed around the specimen holder and permitting installation of other attachments, such as observational instrument and analytical instrument, is narrowed.
In the case of an apparatus that needs a large specimen chamber space, such as a scanning electron microscope, X-ray microanalyzer, or focused ion beam (FIB) system, if an X-position adjusting device is mounted on the opposite surface of the holder support device, the distance between the holder support device and the X-position adjusting device will be increased. Therefore, this apparatus is difficult to manufacture.
In the technique of the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,088, the X-position adjusting device for placing the specimen holder in position in the X-axis direction is mounted to the holder support device together with other position adjusting devices. Therefore, the problem with the above-cited Japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-268758 does not take place. However, a first pipe
7
and a second pipe
15
are used in addition to the third pipe
17
described above. A bellows
19
is mounted between the second pipe
15
and third pipe
17
. The partition valve
10
is opened and closed by the pin
27
of the specimen-holding rod
22
. The shaft
56
is mounted to the third pipe
17
, and the position of the specimen-holding rod
22
is adjusted. Consequently, the specimen-holding device (holder support device) is complex in structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a holder support device which has a detachable cylindrical holder extending along the X-axis, permits adjustment of the X-, Y-, and Z-positions of the inner end of the holder, as well as adjustment of the rotational position about the X-axis, and enables a partition valve to be opened and closed.
This object is achieved by the present invention by a holder support device comprising: a cylindrical support member extending through a specimen chamber wall and mounted to this wall; an outer cylinder inserted in the support member and capable of swinging in the Y- and Z-axis directions about a spherical bearing formed on the inner surface of the support member; an inner cylinder rotatably mounted in the outer cylinder; a holder rotatably mounted in the inner cylinder and made slidable by an X-position adjusting device; a partition valve placed between the inner cylinder and a specimen chamber; and a mechanism for opening and closing the partition valve by rotation of the inner cylinder that is rotated by the holder when the holder rotates.
Other objects and features of the invention will appear in the course of the description thereof, which follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5001350 (1991-03-01), Ohi et al.
patent: 5039864 (1991-08-01), Kondo
patent: 5581088 (1996-12-01), Kasai
patent: 6259960 (2001-07-01), Inokuchi
patent: 6469309 (2002-10-01), Kasai
patent: 2000268758 (2000-09-01), None
Anderson Bruce
El-Shammaa Mary
JEOL Ltd.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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