An assembly is provided including a manipulation device and a cooling unit. The manipulation device includes a holder for samples and a thermal mass member which is arranged in thermal contact with the holder. The manipulation device is configured to place the manipulation device in a heat exchange position wherein the in thermal mass member is in thermal contact with the cooling unit, and to move the manipulation device from the heat exchange position to a manipulation position wherein the thermal mass member is thermally separated from the cooling unit. An inspection apparatus of focused ion beam apparatus is also provided including such an assembly, and a method of using such an assembly.

The present invention provides a packaging unit for liquid sample loading devices applied in an electron microscope. The liquid sample loading devices may be easily, rapidly, precisely and stably aligned and packaged by an engagement of an upper jig and a bottom jig as well as a first fixing pillar supported in a slide track of the packaging unit. Accordingly, efficiency and a yield of packaging the liquid sample loading devices may be improved. In addition, the packaging unit for the liquid sample loading devices of the present invention may directly package a liquid sample, and thus the liquid sample may maintain its original state.

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)).

Methods and systems for performing sample lift-out and protective cap placement for highly reactive materials within charged particle microscopy systems are disclosed herein. Methods include preparing a nesting void in a support structure, translating at least a portion of a sample into the nesting void, and milling material from a region of the support structure that defines the nesting void. The material from the region of the support structure is milled such that at least some of the removed material redeposits to form an attachment bond between the sample and a remaining portion of the support structure. In various embodiments, the sample can then be investigated using one or more of serial sectioning tomography on the sample, enhanced insertable backscatter detector (CBS) analysis on the sample, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis on the sample.

Methods and systems for creating attachments between a sample manipulator and a sample within a charged particle systems are disclosed herein. Methods include translating a sample manipulator so that it is proximate to a sample, and milling portions of the sample manipulator such that portions are removed. The portion of the sample manipulator proximate to the sample is composed of a high sputter yield material, and the high sputter yield material may be the material milled with the charged particle beam such that it is removed from the sample manipulator. According to the present disclosure, the portions of the sample manipulator are milled such that at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample.

Disclosed is a container that receives a substrate type sensor. The container includes a body having a reception space, one side of which is opened, a door that selectively opens and closes the reception space, a shelf part that supports the substrate type sensor in the reception space, and a charging module that charges the substrate type sensor supported by the shelf part, and the charging module includes a charging part that moves between a standby location and a charging location that charges the substrate type sensor supported by the shelf part.

A method for positioning a movable object in a sample chamber of a particle beam microscope is carried out with the aid of a flexible particle beam barrier. The particle beam microscope comprises at least one particle beam column for producing a beam of charged particles, and a sample chamber, a detector for detecting interaction signals and a control and evaluation unit. In the method, initially an object is provided in the sample chamber. Next, a barrier region is defined, which is subsequently scanned with the beam of charged particles. The interaction signals produced during the scan are detected. The object is moved towards the barrier region, wherein the detected interaction signals are monitored and signal changes are registered, with the result that it is possible to detect when the object moves into the barrier region or leaves the barrier region.

A lamella 10 including an analysis portion 11 and a cutout portion 12 separated from the analysis portion 11 is produced. When a plurality of the lamellae 10 are transported to a lamella grid 20, the plurality of lamellae 10 are supported by a support portion 22 protruding from a surface of a substrate 21, and are mounted adjacent to each other in a Z direction. At this time, the cutout portion 12 prevents the analysis portion 11 from damage.

A modular ultra-high vacuum (UHV) electron microscope for investigating a sample, according to the present disclosure includes a UHV chamber configured to reach and maintain an ultra-high vacuum within the UHV chamber, a UHV stage to hold the sample being investigated, a charged particle source configured to emit an electron beam toward the sample, and an optical column configured to direct the plurality of electrons to be incident on the sample. The modular UHV electron microscopes further include a carousel vacuum bay configured to reach and maintain an UHV independently of the UHV chamber, and which is connected to the UHV chamber via a port and contains at least one device manipulator. Each of the device manipulators comprise an attachment site for a microscope device, and are configured to, selectively translate attached microscope devices between the carousel vacuum bay and the UHV chamber via the valve.

Provided is a technique capable of shortening observation throughput of a sample. A transfer device 2 includes a holder 24 configured to hold a mesh MS on which a sample to be analyzed using a charged particle beam device 3 is mounted, a position information acquisition function configured to acquire first information about a positional relationship between the mesh MS and the holder 24, and a position information output function configured to output the first information to the charged particle beam device 3.