A transmission electron microscope is provided, including a column defining an object chamber, at least one ballistic material jet source outside the object chamber, and tightly attached to the column, facing an opening, referred to as a port, provided on the column; having at least one jet source arranged outside the column and including a collimator of the material jet towards a predetermined direction, passing through the port and leading into the object chamber so that a portion of the material jet exits the source in the object chamber.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber including a processing room; a heating unit that heats the processing chamber; a support including a base thermally isolated from the processing chamber and fixed to the processing chamber, and a stage inserted into an opening provided toward the processing room while being supported by the base at a position distant from a reference position in a horizontal direction, and holds the substrate in the processing room; a stage peripheral member provided in the processing chamber along a periphery of the stage in a state of being inserted into the opening; and a first positioning pin fixed to the processing chamber to position the stage peripheral member, and a second positioning pin fixed to a position farther than the first positioning pin.

An ion milling apparatus includes a sample holder, a vacuum chamber, an evacuation section, a vacuum gauge, a heater, a gas inlet assembly, and a control section. The evacuation section vents gas in the interior space of the vacuum chamber. The vacuum gauge measures the pressure in the interior space of the vacuum chamber. The heater heats the sample holder. The gas inlet assembly admits a dry gas containing no moisture into the interior space of the vacuum chamber. When the pressure in the interior space has reached below a given pressure, the control section controls the gas inlet assembly based on information about the pressure in the interior space so as to admit the dry gas into the vacuum chamber.

A method includes introducing a fluidic sample into a void volume of a porous material, bringing the porous material into contact with a hydrophilic substrate compatible with a cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscope, separating the porous material from the substrate, and transferring a portion of the sample from the porous material to the substrate between their contact and separation.

A portable vacuum antioxidant bag installed in an electron microscope to prevent oxidation of a sample includes a magnet fixing part formed by attaching a flexible magnet to an opening of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, a gas inlet and a gas outlet formed on two sides of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, the gas inlet through which gas is injected into the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, and the gas outlet through which air exits the portable vacuum antioxidant bag by the injected gas, and a pair of gloves formed in a shape of hands toward an inside of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, wherein the portable vacuum antioxidant bag is tightly contact with the electron microscope due to the magnetic force by the magnet fixing part.

A sample attachment device includes a mount, a mounted depression, and a pressure release depression. Liquid and air bubbles can pass the pressure release depression. The mounted depression is on the mount. A cartridge is mounted on the mounted depression. The pressure release depression is in the mounted depression. The pressure release depression is vertically under the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted on the mounted depression.

A portable vacuum antioxidant bag installed in an electron microscope to prevent oxidation of a sample includes a magnet fixing part formed by attaching a flexible magnet to an opening of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, a gas inlet and a gas outlet formed on two sides of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, the gas inlet through which gas is injected into the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, and the gas outlet through which air exits the portable vacuum antioxidant bag by the injected gas, and a pair of gloves formed in a shape of hands toward an inside of the portable vacuum antioxidant bag, wherein the portable vacuum antioxidant bag is tightly contact with the electron microscope due to the magnetic force by the magnet fixing part.

A vacuum condition processing apparatus is provided, the top of which is connected to an external charged particle beam generating device, and the apparatus includes: a suction cup in contact with the specimen to be observed or the stage holding the specimen, a first gas controlling device connected to an external gas supplying system, and a second gas controlling device connected to an external pumping system; a window is deployed at the top of the apparatus, through which the particle beam can go into the apparatus; the first gas controlling device is arranged to connect the gas supplying system and the suction cup; the second gas controlling device is arranged to connect the gas pumping system and the suction cup. Also disclosed is a specimen observation system and method.

A wafer holding device includes a wafer chuck that includes a wafer holding surface coming into contact with a wafer to be held and a plurality of attraction regions provided on the wafer holding surface, and a controller configured to independently control an attraction force of an at least one of the plurality of attraction regions. In a case where fixing of the wafer is released, the controller establishes a temporarily fixing state in which the attraction force of the at least one of the plurality of attraction regions is smaller than an attraction force in fixing the wafer, and thereafter, the controller sets attraction forces of all of the plurality of attraction regions to be smaller than the attraction force in fixing the wafer.

There is provided a sample support capable of easily placing a sample into position. The sample support is used such that a sample floating on the surface of water is scooped and held. The sample support has: a first region on which the sample is to be placed; and a second region of higher wettability than the first region.