Presented is a holder assembly for cooperating with a nanoreactor and an electron microscope. The holder assembly has a distal end for holding the nanoreactor. The volume has a fluid inlet and outlet. The holder assembly has fluid supply and outlet tubes which in working are connected to the fluid inlet and outlet of the nanoreactor. In working, the connection between the fluid inlet and outlet and the respective supply and outlet tubes are sealed by sealing elements. The holder assembly has a recess which, when the nanoreactor is attached and the holder is inserted into the evacuated portion of an electron microscope, forms a sealed pre-vacuum volume between the holder and the nanoreactor, with the pre-vacuum volume being evacuated via a pre-vacuum channel such that any fluid leakage is pumped away and does not enter the evacuated part of the electron microscope.

Presented is a holder assembly for cooperating with a nanoreactor and an electron microscope. The holder assembly has a distal end for holding the nanoreactor. The volume has a fluid inlet and outlet. The holder assembly has fluid supply and outlet tubes which in working are connected to the fluid inlet and outlet of the nanoreactor. In working, the connection between the fluid inlet and outlet and the respective supply and outlet tubes are sealed by sealing elements. The holder assembly has a recess which, when the nanoreactor is attached and the holder is inserted into the evacuated portion of an electron microscope, forms a sealed pre-vacuum volume between the holder and the nanoreactor, with the pre-vacuum volume being evacuated via a pre-vacuum channel such that any fluid leakage is pumped away and does not enter the evacuated part of the electron microscope.

A specimen loading method for loading a specimen that contains water into a specimen chamber of a charged particle beam device, includes: a step (S100) of mounting the specimen on a specimen support; a step (S102) of covering a predetermined area of the specimen with a water retention material; a step (S104) of evacuating the specimen chamber in which the specimen having the predetermined area covered with the water retention material is placed; and a step (S106) of exposing the predetermined area covered with the water retention material.

Conventional devices have been difficult to use due to insufficient consideration being given to factors such as the cost necessary for diaphragm replacement and the convenience of the work. In the present invention, a diaphragm mounting member installed in a charged particle beam device for radiating a primary charged particle beam through a diaphragm separating a vacuum space and an atmospheric pressure space onto a sample placed in the atmospheric pressure space is provided with a diaphragm installation portion to which a TEM membrane is mounted and a casing fixing portion mounted on a casing of the charged particle beam device. The diaphragm installation portion has a positioning structure for positioning a platform on which the diaphragm is held.

Charged particle beam imaging and measurement systems are provided using gas amplification with an improved imaging gas. The system includes a charged particle beam source for directing a charged particle beam to work piece, a focusing lens for focusing the charged particles onto the work piece, and an electrode for accelerating secondary electrons generated from the work piece irradiation by the charged practice beam, or another gas cascade detection scheme. The gas imaging is performed in a high pressure scanning electron microscope (HPSEM) chamber for enclosing the improved imaging gas including CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH (ethanol) vapor. The electrode accelerates the secondary electrons though the CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH to ionize the CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH through ionization cascade to amplify the number of secondary electrons for detection. An optimal configuration is provided for use of the improved imaging gas, and techniques are provided to conduct imaging studies of organic liquids and solvents, and other CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH-based processes.

There is provided a scanning electron microscope which has a sample chamber capable of being evacuated to a low vacuum. The scanning electron microscope includes an electron gun for emitting an electron beam, an objective lens for focusing the emitted beam onto a sample, and a sample chamber in which the sample is housed. The objective lens includes an inner polepiece, an outer polepiece disposed outside the inner polepiece and facing the sample chamber, at least one through-hole extending through the inner and outer polepieces, and at least one cover member that closes off the through-hole. An opening is formed between the inner polepiece and the outer polepiece. The objective lens causes leakage of magnetic field from the opening toward the sample. The sample chamber has a degree of vacuum lower than that in an inner space that forms an electron beam path inside the inner polepiece.

An environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM) suffers from gas-induced resolution deterioration. Inventors conclude that the deterioration is due to ionization of gas in the sample chamber of the ETEM, and propose to use an electric field in the sample chamber to remove the ionized gas, thereby diminishing the gas-induced resolution deterioration. The electric field need not be a strong field, and can be caused by, for example, biasing the sample with respect to the sample chamber. A bias voltage of 100 V applied via voltage source is sufficient for a marked improvement the gas-induced resolution deterioration. Alternatively an electric field perpendicular to the optical axis can be used, for example by placing an electrically biased wire or gauze off-axis in the sample chamber.