Build material handling unit (2) for a powder module (3) for an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, which apparatus is adapted to successively layerwise selectively irradiate and consolidate layers of a build material (4) which can be consolidated by means of an energy source, wherein the build material handling unit (2) is coupled or can be coupled with a powder module (3), wherein the build material handling unit (2) is adapted to level and/or compact a volume of build material (4) arranged inside a powder chamber (5) of the powder module (3) by controlling the gas pressure inside the powder chamber (5).

An observation carrier includes a bottom base, a lower cover, an upper cover, and a rotation cover. The bottom has at least one first positioning portion. The lower cover has at least one second positioning portion, and at least one third positioning portion. The lower cover is detachably disposed on the bottom base and positioned with the first positioning portion through the second positioning portion. The upper cover has at least one fourth positioning portion and is detachably disposed on the bottom base. The upper cover is positioned with the third positioning portion through the fourth positioning portion. An observation region is formed between the upper cover and the lower cover. The rotation cover is detachably disposed on the bottom base to limit the upper and lower covers on the bottom base. The rotation cover is adapted to rotate to be locked or released by the bottom base.

A fluid metering system for gas independent pressure and flow control through an electron microscope sample holder includes: a pressure control system that supplies gas; an inlet line providing gas from the pressure control system to the sample holder; an outlet line receiving gas from the sample holder; and a variable leak valve that controls gas flow in the outlet line. The gas flows from an upstream tank of the pressure control system through the sample holder and variable leak valve to a downstream tank of the pressure control system due to the pressure difference of the two tanks as the variable leak valve meters flow in the outlet line. Flow rates are established by monitoring pressure changes at source and collection tanks of known volumes with gas independent pressure gauges. A method of directing the gas flow to a residual gas analyzer (RGA) is also presented.

A fluid metering system for gas independent pressure and flow control through an electron microscope sample holder includes: a pressure control system that supplies gas; an inlet line providing gas from the pressure control system to the sample holder; an outlet line receiving gas from the sample holder; and a variable leak valve that controls gas flow in the outlet line. The gas flows from an upstream tank of the pressure control system through the sample holder and variable leak valve to a downstream tank of the pressure control system due to the pressure difference of the two tanks as the variable leak valve meters flow in the outlet line. Flow rates are established by monitoring pressure changes at source and collection tanks of known volumes with gas independent pressure gauges. A method of directing the gas flow to a residual gas analyzer (RGA) is also presented.

A heating device having a heating element patterned into a robust MEMs substrate, wherein the heating element is electrically isolated from a fluid reservoir or bulk conductive sample, but close enough in proximity to an imagable window/area having the fluid or sample thereon, such that the sample is heated through conduction. The heating device can be used in a microscope sample holder, e.g., for SEM, TEM, STEM, X-ray synchrotron, scanning probe microscopy, and optical microscopy.

An optical pyrometer having a coaxial light guide delivers laser radiation through optics to heat a localized area on a sample, and simultaneously collects optical radiation from the sample to perform temperature measurement of the heated area. Inner and outer light guides can comprise the core and inner cladding, respectively, of a double-clad fiber (DCF), or can be formed using a combination of optical fibers in one or more coaxial bundles. Coaxial construction and shared optics facilitate alignment of the centers of the heated and observed areas on the sample. The heated area can be on the order of micrometers when using a single-mode optical fiber core as the inner light guide. The system can be configured to heat small samples within a vacuum system of charged-particle beam microscopes such as electron microscopes. A method for using the invention in a microscope is also provided.

A transmission electron microscope high-resolution in situ fluid freezing chip includes a lower chip and an upper chip. The lower chip is provided with a support layer, a freezing layer, an insulating layer, an opening, and a center window. The freezing layer is provided with contact electrodes, semiconductor films, and a conductive metal film. The center window is surrounded by the conductive metal film; the contact electrodes are disposed at an edge of the chip. One ends of the semiconductor films are lapped on the conductive metal film, and the other ends are lapped on the electrodes. In the outer edge of the conductive metal film, silicon is etched to form the opening. The support layer covers the opening. The conductive metal film is disposed on the support layer. A plurality of holes are provided in the center window.

The present disclosure discloses a transmission electron microscope in-situ chip and a preparation method thereof. The transmission electron microscope in-situ chip includes a transmission electron microscope high-resolution in-situ gas phase heating chip, a transmission electron microscope high-resolution in-situ liquid phase heating chip and a transmission electron microscope in-situ electrothermal coupling chip. The transmission electron microscope high-resolution in-situ gas phase heating chip and the transmission electron microscope high-resolution in-situ liquid phase heating chip are respectively suitable for gas samples and liquid samples, and the transmission electron microscope in-situ electrothermal coupling chip realizes the multi-functional embodiment of electrothermal coupling. The three transmission electron microscope in-situ chips have the advantages of high resolution and low sample drift rate.

Build material handling unit (2) for a powder module (3) for an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, which apparatus is adapted to successively layerwise selectively irradiate and consolidate layers of a build material (4) which can be consolidated by means of an energy source, wherein the build material handling unit (2) is coupled or can be coupled with a powder module (3), wherein the build material handling unit (2) is adapted to level and/or compact a volume of build material (4) arranged inside a powder chamber (5) of the powder module (3) by controlling the gas pressure inside the powder chamber (5).

The present disclosure relates to a liquid chip for an electron microscope including a lower chip, an upper chip, and a waterway space part for supplying a liquid sample, and may attach a transmissive thin film layer made of a graphene material having an excellent bulging resistance property to a plurality of holes formed in a waterway space part to increase the thickness of a support not operating as a transmissive window to be larger than the conventional one, thereby supplying the liquid sample more stably and minimizing the loss of a spatial resolution and also suppressing the bulging phenomenon of the transmissive window. To this end, according to the present disclosure, the lower chip includes a lower substrate formed with a lower cavity; a lower support disposed on the upper surface of the lower substrate, and formed with a plurality of lower holes in the lower cavity region; a spacer located on both ends of the lower support of the lower hole; and a lower transmissive thin film layer attached on the lower support so as to cover the lower hole, the upper chip includes an upper substrate formed with an upper cavity; an upper support disposed on the upper surface of the upper substrate, and formed with a plurality of upper holes in the upper cavity region; and an upper transmissive thin film layer having a constant bulging resistance property attached on the upper support so as to cover the plurality of upper holes, the waterway space part is formed by laminating the upper support disposed on the upper surface of the upper substrate on the spacer of the lower chip, and the transmissive thin film layer is located inside the waterway space part.