An ion generator, a fan coil unit and an air conditioning system. The ion generator includes: a power module; a negative plate connected to the power module; a ground plate spaced apart from a first side of the negative plate, the first side of the negative plate includes a plurality of plasma needles extending toward the ground plate; a positive plate spaced apart from a second side of the negative plate, the positive plate is connected to the power module and has a polarity opposite to that of the negative plate, and the respective sides of the negative plate and the positive plate that are facing toward each other are respectively provided with a plurality of carbon fiber brushes at corresponding positions.

A substrate detaching apparatus for detaching a substrate attracted to and held onto an attraction surface of an electrostatic chuck includes a moving unit configured to push and move the substrate in a direction parallel to the attraction surface.

System and methods are described for directly measuring mechanical properties of a sample while concurrently imaging the sample using a scanning beam microscope (e.g., a scanning electron microscope (SEM)). The system includes a clamping mount configured to hold the sample and a load cell positioned proximal to the clamping mount and configured to provide a direct, real-time measurement of force on the sample end. The system further includes a controllable probe configured to apply a force to the sample. In some embodiments, the sample load cell is tiltably couplable to a sample held by the clamping mount and the controllable probe is moveable between a plurality of different mounting positions relative to the load cell.

The disclosure relates to a method of preparing a sample in a charged particle microscope. The method comprises the steps of providing a sample carrier having a mechanical support contour and a grid member connected thereto. The method comprises the step of connecting said sample carrier to a mechanical stage device of the charged particle microscope. Additionally, the method comprises the step of providing a sample, for example a chunk-shaped or lamella-shaped sample and connecting said sample to the grid member of the sample carrier. The method allows, in an embodiment, easy and reliable transfer of a sample between a bulk sample and a sample carrier.

An analysis system, an analysis method and a sample holder make it possible to analyse a battery via a particle beam system, for example to record images of the battery via the particle beam system, while the battery is arranged in a vacuum chamber of the particle beam system and is manipulated according to a multiplicity of different parameter value sets in the vacuum chamber. By way of example, the battery is kept at a predefined temperature, a predefined pressure is exerted on the battery, and the battery is electrically charged and discharged according to a loading scheme and at the same time images of the battery are recorded via the particle beam system.

An automated system for controlling a conductive probe of a nanoprober system in situ to a charged particle beam (CPB) imaging system can include a nanoprober comprising an actuator and a conductive probe; signal measurement circuitry electrically coupled to the conductive probe and to receive an electrical signal from the conductive probe; and a hardware processor to execute operations. The operations can include activating a CPB within a first reference frame, the first reference frame associated with the CPB; causing, by a computerized control system, the CPB and the conductive probe to intersect; measuring an electrical response from the intersection of the CPB with the conductive probe; and determining a location of the conductive probe in a second reference frame based on the electric response from the intersection of the CPB with the conductive probe, the second reference frame associated with the conductive probe.

An integrated station for extracting specimens suitable for viewing by a transmission electron microscope from a patterned semiconductor wafer, including a wafer cassette holder; a wafer transfer device; a nanomachining device, including a scanning electron microscope and a focused ion beam, a vacuum load lock and an operator control device, and wherein the operator control device notes locations of created lamellae; a plucker device; a control computer, adapted to control the wafer transfer device and the plucker device, commanding the plucker device to remover lamellae at the locations noted by the operator control device; and a user monitor and data input device, communicatively coupled to the computer. The wafer transfer device can transfer wafers from the wafer cassette holder to the vacuum load lock; from the vacuum load lock to the plucker device and from the plucker device to the wafer cassette holder.

A charged particle beam apparatus which automatically prepares a sample piece from a sample, includes: a charged particle beam irradiation optical system configured to perform irradiation of a charged particle beam; a sample stage configured to move, the sample being placed on the sample stage; a sample piece relocation unit configured to hold and transport the sample piece which is separated and picked up from the sample; a holder fixing stage which holds a sample piece holder to which the sample piece is relocated; and a computer which performs positional control in relation to a target object based on a template and positional information which is obtained from an image of the target object, the template being generated based on an absorption current image of the target object which is acquired using the irradiation of the charged particle beam.

A system and method for preparing a sample for study in a charged-particle microscope is disclosed. A sample holder comprises substantially parallel opposing faces connected by apertures spanned by a perforated membrane. Blotting material is placed against the outer membrane surface, and liquid films may then be deposited onto the inner membrane surface within each aperture where each aperture can contain a unique sample. Liquids from each sample flow through the perforations in the membrane to be absorbed by the blotting material. After completion of deposition of liquid samples, the sample holder is raised off the blotting material, leaving aqueous samples within the perforations of the membrane. The sample holder may then be immersed in a vitrifying bath of liquid oxygen to form a cryo-sample for microscopic imaging and analysis.

To accomplish fast automated micro-sampling, provided is a charged particle beam apparatus, which is configured to automatically fabricate a sample piece from a sample, the charged particle beam apparatus including: a charged particle beam irradiation optical system configured to radiate a charged particle beam; a sample stage configured to move the sample that is placed on the sample stage; a sample piece transportation unit configured to hold and convey the sample piece separated and extracted from the sample; a holder fixing base configured to hold a sample piece holder to which the sample piece is transported; and a computer configured to perform position control with respect to a second target, based on a machine learning model in which first information including a first image of a first target is learned, and on second information including a second image, which is obtained by irradiation with the charged particle beam.