Provided is a machining technology to obtain a desired machining content while suppressing a possibility of causing a redeposition in a machining surface. The invention is directed to provide an ion milling device which includes an ion source which emits an ion beam, a sample holder which holds a sample, and a sample sliding mechanism which slides the sample holder in a direction including a normal direction of an axis of the ion beam.

The present invention is in the field of a cryo transfer system for use in microscopy, and a microscope comprising said system. The present invention is in the field of microscopy, specifically in the field of electron and focused ion beam microscopy (EM and FIB), and in particular Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). However its application is extendable in principle to any field of microscopy, especially wherein a specimen (or sample) is cooled or needs cooling.

Introduced here is a plasma polymerization apparatus and process. Example embodiments include a vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical shape to a central axis. A rotation rack may be operable to rotate about the central axis of the vacuum chamber. Additionally, reactive species discharge mechanisms positioned around a perimeter of the vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical manner from the outer perimeter of the vacuum chamber may be configured to disperse reactive species into the vacuum chamber. The reactive species may form a polymeric multi-layer coating on surfaces of the one or more devices. Each layer may have a different composition of atoms to enhance the water resistance, corrosion resistance, and fiction resistance of the polymeric multi-layer coating.

An e-beam apparatus is disclosed, the tool comprising an electron optics system configured to project an e-beam onto an object, an object table to hold the object, and a positioning device configured to move the object table relative to the electron optics system. The positioning device comprises a short stroke stage configured to move the object table relative to the electron optics system and a long stroke stage configured to move the short stroke stage relative to the electron optics system. The e-beam apparatus further comprises a magnetic shield to shield the electron optics system from a magnetic disturbance generated by the positioning device. The magnetic shield may be arranged between the positioning device and the electron optics system.

An actuator has: a motor section; a ball spline having a finite stroke and equipped with a shaft capable of moving along its axis; an external screw thread formed on the shaft; a nut section having an internal screw thread engaging the external screw thread and operating to transmit the rotary force of the motor section to the shaft; and a case housing the motor section and the ball spline. The shaft has a contact section at its front end, the contact section being designed to make contact with the driven object. The contact section is lower than the shaft in thermal conductivity. Due to heat generated by the motor section, the shaft elongates along the axis of the shaft in a first direction, and the case elongates along the axis of the shaft in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

A positioning system for an electron microscope includes a first carriage comprising a holder for holding a workpiece and a second carriage. The first carriage being coupled to one or more first drive units configured to position the workpiece along first, second, and third axes, and along a first tilt axis. The second carriage housing the one or more first drive units and being coupled to one or more second drive units configured to position the workpiece along a second tilt axis.

A method of producing a compensation signal to compensate for misalignment of a drive unit clamp element can include applying a clamp element drive signal to a drive unit clamp element to engage a mover element. A first displacement of the mover element can be determined. A first compensation signal to be applied to one or more drive unit shear elements can be determined based at least in part on the first displacement. The first compensation signal can be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements and the clamp element drive signal can be applied to the drive unit clamp element. A second displacement can be determined in response to the application of the first compensation signal and the clamp element drive signal. The second displacement can then be compared to a preselected threshold. For a second displacement less than the preselected threshold, combining the first compensation signal with an initial shear element drive signal to produce a modified shear element drive signal, and for a second displacement greater than the preselected threshold, determining a second compensation signal to be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements.

A method of method of operating a multibeamlet charged particle device is disclosed. In the method, a target attached to a stage is translated, and each step of selecting beamlets, initializing beamlets, and exposing the target is repeated. The step of selecting beamlets includes passing a reconfigurable plurality of selected beamlets through the blanking circuit. The step of initializing beamlets includes pointing each of the selected beamlets in an initial direction. The step of exposing the target includes scanning each of the selected beamlets from the initial direction to a final direction, and irradiating a plurality of regions of the target on the stage with the selected beamlets.

Introduced here is a plasma polymerization apparatus and process. Example embodiments include a vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical shape to a central axis. A rotation rack may be operable to rotate about the central axis of the vacuum chamber. Additionally, reactive species discharge mechanisms positioned around a perimeter of the vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical manner from the outer perimeter of the vacuum chamber may be configured to disperse reactive species into the vacuum chamber. The reactive species may form a polymeric multi-layer coating on surfaces of the one or more devices. Each layer may have a different composition of atoms to enhance the water resistance, corrosion resistance, and fiction resistance of the polymeric multi-layer coating.

Introduced here is a plasma polymerization apparatus and process. Example embodiments include a vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical shape to a central axis. A rotation rack may be operable to rotate about the central axis of the vacuum chamber. Additionally, reactive species discharge mechanisms positioned around a perimeter of the vacuum chamber in a substantially symmetrical manner from the outer perimeter of the vacuum chamber may be configured to disperse reactive species into the vacuum chamber. The reactive species may form a polymeric multi-layer coating on surfaces of the one or more devices. Each layer may have a different composition of atoms to enhance the water resistance, corrosion resistance, and fiction resistance of the polymeric multi-layer coating.