Referring to
While the first embodiment of the present invention is operated, the gas source 15 provides the gas for/into the specimen chamber 94 and the gas leaks through the inner apertures 141 into the buffer chambers 16. Limited to the diameter of the inner aperture 141, the gas leaking into the buffer chambers 16 is little such that the gas pressure of the buffer chambers 16 is far smaller than that of the specimen chamber 94. Besides, pumping the buffer chambers 16 with the gas-pumping source 17 can evacuate the gas from the buffer chambers 16 to prevent the gas from leaking out of the outer apertures 161. Even if a trace amount of gas leaks out of the outer apertures 161, a pumping apparatus that the electron microscope 90 has itself originally can evacuate the gas completely to keep itself vacuum. In light of this, the specimen chamber 94 can keep the gas under a predetermined pressure, and meanwhile, the electron beam can still pass through the inner and outer apertures 141 and 161. While the electron beam passes through the path R and a specimen is placed in the specimen chamber 94, the high-resolution observation can be done in the gas environment under the predetermined pressure, wherein the distance between the two inner apertures 141 is smaller than 2 mm and the pressure of the gas inside the specimen chamber 94 is larger than 200 torrs. If the distance between the two inner apertures 141 is 0.7 mm, the pressure of the gas inside the specimen chamber 94 can be operated to reach one atmosphere (1 atm) because the gasiform molecules, while the pressure of the gas increases, within unit volume increase and then decreasing the height of the specimen chamber 94 can decrease the gasiform molecules that the electron beam, while passing through the gasiform molecules, impinges to further improve the drawback of the imaging resolution probably resulted from the electron multiple scattering.
In addition, in the first embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
A tube 263 is formed in each of the buffer chambers 26, extending toward the specimen chamber 94 from a periphery of each of the electron beam through tunnels 92 located at two opposite ends of the two pole pieces 91 for a predetermined length. Each of the tubes 263 has an inner plate 264 mounted at a distal end thereof abutting the specimen chamber 94, an inner aperture 241 formed on the inner plate 264, an outer plate 265 mounted at the other end thereof, and an outer aperture 261 formed on the outer plate 265. Each of the buffer chambers 26 is encompassed by the electron beam through tunnel 92, the tube 263, the inner plate 264, and the outer plate 265.
The way that the second embodiment of the present invention is operated is the same as that of the first embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Each of
Referring to
The liquid/gas environment 30 further includes a spacer 31 located in each of the tubes for partitioning off each of the buffer chambers 36 to make an inner buffer chamber 38. Each of the spacers 31 includes a buffer aperture 381 located between the inner buffer chamber 38 and the buffer chamber 36. All of the buffer apertures 381, the inner apertures 341, and the outer apertures 361 are coaxially aligned with one another. The buffer chambers 36 are connected with a gas-pumping source 37 and the inner buffer chambers 38 are connected with another gas-pumping source 37.
The third embodiment includes two more buffer chambers, i.e. the two inner buffer chambers 38, than the second embodiment. Such multi-layered differential pressure pumping of this embodiment allows higher pressure of the gas inside the specimen chamber 94 and keeps the gas from leaking out of the outer apertures. The rest of the operational manners of the third embodiment are the same as those of the second embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
Each of the buffer chambers 46 is encompassed to be box-like by a plurality of spacers 41, fixed to the pole piece 91, and located outside the electron beam through tunnel 92 and between the two pieces 91.
The way that the fourth embodiment of the present invention is operated is the same as that of the third embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
Each of the buffer chambers 56 is partitioned off by a spacer 51 to make an inner buffer chamber 58 encompassed therein. The spacers 51 each between the adjacent buffer chamber 56 and the inner buffer chamber 58 each have a buffer aperture 581. The buffer apertures 581 are coaxially aligned with the inner and outer apertures 541 and 561. The buffer chambers 56 are connected with a gas-pumping source 57 and the inner buffer chambers 58 is connected with another gas-pumping source 57.
The fifth embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the fourth embodiment in structure and operation, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
The gas chamber 64 is encompassed by a plurality of spacers 61. The spacers 61 located at a top and bottom side of the gas chamber 64 respectively each have an inner aperture 641. The gas chamber 64 is connected with a gas source 65 and is located between the two pole pieces 91 by a support member 643 which is a specimen holder in this embodiment. The specimen chamber 94 covers the two inner apertures 641 and be connected with a pumping source 67. At least one spacer 61 is mounted on each of the pole pieces 91 to cross a path R that the electron beam passes. In this embodiment, the two pole pieces 91 and the spacer 61 located on each of the two pole pieces 91 define two boxes B respectively located in the specimen chamber 94. An outer buffer chamber 69 is formed in each of the box B, communicating with the electron beam through tunnel 92 of each of the pole pieces 91 and connected with a gas-pumping source 67′ which can be a gas-pumping apparatus originally provided in the electron microscope 90 or an alternative external gas-pumping source. The spacers 61 located on the pole pieces 91 each have an outer aperture 661. The inner apertures 641 are coaxially aligned with the outer apertures 661, crossing the path R.
While the sixth embodiment is operated, the gas source 65 provides a gas for/into the gas chamber 64 and the gas leaks through the inner apertures 641 into the specimen chamber 94. Limited to the diameter of the inner aperture 641, the gas leaking into the specimen chamber 94 is very little, such that the pressure of the gas inside the specimen chamber 94 is far smaller than that of the gas chamber 64. Besides, pumping out the specimen chamber 94 with the gas-pumping source 67 can almost completely prevent the gas from leaking out of the outer apertures 661. Even if a trace amount of the gas leaks through the outer apertures 661 into the outer buffer chambers 69, the gas-pumping source 67′ can pump the gas completely out of the outer buffer chambers 69 to keep it vacuum. In light of this, the gas inside the gas chamber 64 can be kept under a predetermined pressure, and meanwhile, the electron beam can still pass through the inner and outer apertures 641 and 661. When a specimen (not shown) is placed in the gas chamber 64 and located at the path R, the observation can be done in the gas environment under a predetermined pressure. Pumping out the specimen chamber 94 and outer buffer chambers 69, i.e. the multi-layered differential pressure pumping, allows the pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber 64 to reach or exceed one atmosphere and prevents the electron microscope from damage caused by the gas leaking into the electron microscope 90. In this embodiment, the height of the gas chamber 64 is defined by the distance between the two inner apertures 641. As indicated in the first embodiment, the smaller the distance of the two inner apertures 641 is, the higher the allowable pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber 64 is. What the allowable pressure can be higher does not mean that the multi-layered differential pressure pumping can improve the gas leakage but that the gas molecules increase within unit volume while the pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber 64 increases, and reduction of the height of the gas chamber 64 can decrease the gas molecules impinged by the electron beam while passing though them, further improving the drawback of the imaging resolution probably resulted from the electron multiple scattering.
Referring to
The gas chamber 74 is further partitioned off by a plurality of spacers 71 to make two inner buffer chambers 78 located above and below the gas chamber 74. Each of the spacers 71 located between the two inner buffer chambers 78 and the gas chambers 74 includes a buffer aperture 781 for communication with the inner buffer chamber 78 and the gas chamber 74. All of the buffer, inner, and outer apertures 781, 741, and 761 are coaxially aligned with one another. The two inner buffer chambers 78 are connected with a gas-pumping source 77. The gas chamber 74 is connected with a gas source 75.
The seventh embodiment is structurally similar to the sixth embodiment, further including two inner buffer chambers 78 to employ the multi-layered differential pressure pumping to allow the higher pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber 74 as the same as the third embodiment does. The rest of the operational manners are the same as the sixth embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
The gas chamber 84 is further partitioned off by a plurality of spacers 81 to make a liquid chamber 82 connected with a liquid source 83, encapsulating a top and bottom side of the liquid chamber 82. Two gas apertures 821 each are formed on the spacer 81 and located at the top and bottom sides of the liquid chamber 82. All of the gas, inner, buffer, and outer apertures 821, 841, 881, and 861 are coaxially aligned with one another.
The liquid chamber 82 contains a liquid which is very thin to allow penetration of the electron beam of the electron microscope through itself without generation of mass inelastic scattering. The gas apertures 821 each must have a very small diameter to disable the liquid from leakage but to merely enable the liquid to volatilize out of the gas apertures 821 and then leak outward into the gas chamber 84. The gas source 85 is employed to provide the gas chamber 84 with vapor of a predetermined pressure to further suppress the liquid inside the liquid chamber 82 from volatilization out of the gas apertures 821. In the meantime, each of the gas-pumping sources 87 is employed to pump out the inner buffer chamber 88 and the specimen chamber 94. In light of this, a layer of the liquid is maintained in the liquid chamber 82 to provide an observational liquid environment.
The rest of operational statuses of the eighth embodiment are the same as those of the seventh embodiment, such that no more detailed recitation is necessary.
Referring to
One of the two inner apertures a141, located above the other, is sealed with a film F. The film F is very thin, substantially 20-50 nm, to allow penetration of the electron beam of the electron microscope and to prevent the gas inside the gas chamber a14 from leakage but to enable the gas to leak out of the other inner aperture a141. Because of the film F, the gas cannot pass through the inner aperture a141 located above the other and thus it is not necessary to mount an inner buffer chamber a18 above the gas chamber a14. In light of this, it is sufficient and unsymmetrical to mount only one inner buffer chamber a18 below the gas chamber a14.
The rest of the structures and operational manners of the ninth embodiment are the same as those of the seventh embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
The spacers b11 are mounted between the two pole pieces 91 and at a top side of the upper pole piece 91 and a bottom side of the lower pole piece 91 respectively to define an elongated subspace b21 in a space composed of the electron beam through tunnels 92 and the specimen chamber 94. The elongated subspace b21 is partitioned into a gas chamber b14 and at least one buffer chamber b16. The gas chamber b14 is formed in an independent box B encompassed by the spacers b11 and separable from the elongated subspace b21. Two inner apertures b141 are formed on the spacers b11 located at a top side and a bottom side of the gas chamber b14 respectively. The buffer chamber b16 can be diversely formed, wherein one of the diverse formations (not shown) is that the buffer chamber b16 completely encapsulates the gas chamber b14 to cover the two inner apertures b141, working as one small cup and one large cup are fitted to each other. In this embodiment, the two buffer chambers b16 are formed above and below the gas chamber b14 to cover the two inner apertures b141 and located in the electron beam through tunnels 92. The spacers b11 located at a top side of the upper pole piece 91 and a bottom side of the lower pole piece 91 respectively each have an outer aperture b161. The gas chamber b14 is connected with a gas source b15. The two buffer chambers b16 are connected with a gas-pumping source b17. A plurality of sealing members b22 are mounted closely between the box B and the two pole pieces 91, each being an O-ring in this embodiment. As shown in
In operation, the tenth embodiment employs the gas source b15 to provide the gas for/into the gas chamber b14 and employs the buffer chambers b16 for gas evacuation. The rest of the operation manners are the same as those of the first embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Further, when the tenth embodiment is actually used, the sealing members b22 can be fitted onto the box B first, and then laterally insert the combination of the sealing members b22 and the box B through an insertion port 98 originally provided at a lateral side of the specimen chamber 94 of the electron microscope 90 into the specimen chamber 94. After the insertion of the combination, the sealing members b22 closely contact against the two pole pieces 91 respectively, and the two buffer chambers b16 and the gas chamber b14 are incorporated to form the elongated subspace b21 and to be separated from and without communication with the specimen chamber 94. Such lateral insertion is very convenient and enables the combination of the sealing members b22 and the box B to be independently located in the elongated subspace b21 of the specimen chamber 94 without alteration of the original design of the electron microscope 91.
Referring to
The gas chamber c14 and the two buffer chambers c16 are formed in a box B independently located in the specimen chamber 94. Since the rest of the structures, e.g. the sealing members c22 are located between the box B and the two pole pieces 91, and the operational manners are the same as those of the tenth embodiment, no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
Two inner buffer chambers d18 are formed between the two buffer chambers d16 and the gas chamber d14 and in an independent box B. The spacer d11 located between each of the inner buffer chambers d18 and each of the buffer chambers d16 includes a buffer aperture d181. All of the inner, buffer, and outer apertures d141, d181, and d161 are coaxially aligned with one another. The inner buffer chambers d18 are connected with a second gas-pumping source d17′.
The twelfth embodiment has two more buffer chambers than the eleventh embodiment, employing the multi-layered differential pressure pumping, as the third embodiment does, to allow higher pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber d14. The rest of the operational manners are the same as those of the eleventh embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
Referring to
The gas chamber e14 is formed in an independent box B. The two buffer chambers e16 are formed outside the electron beam through tunnels 92 of the pole pieces 91 respectively and located between the two pole pieces 91. The sealing members e22 are located between the box B and the spacers e11 abutting the two buffer chambers e16.
The gas chamber in the box of the thirteenth embodiment is thinner than that of the tenth embodiment and easier for high-resolution observation. The rest of the operational manners are the same as those of the tenth embodiment, such that no more detailed description is necessary.
In addition to the aforementioned embodiments, the present invention having the core technical feature (the gas and buffer chambers in cooperation with the space inside the two pole pieces 90 and the specimen chamber 94 of the electron microscope) includes various other equivalent embodiments, e.g. the liquid chamber of the eighth embodiment can be changed to the gas chamber to enable two buffer chambers to be located above and below the gas chamber; an additional buffer chamber can be alternatively mounted outside the inner buffer chambers to enable the differential pressure pumping of more layers to allow higher pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber; or the box that the gas chamber of the tenth embodiment is located is formed on a specimen holder to have better operational convenience.
In conclusion, the present invention includes the following advantages.
1. Thinner Liquid/Gas Observational Environment
2. Easier for Control
Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific preferred embodiments thereof, it is no way limited to the details of the illustrated structures but changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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95120864 | Jun 2006 | TW | national |