JPH06215718A - Sample device of electron microscope and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve the fine movement of X movement by giving the force reverse to the atmospheric pressure working on a metallic bellows for sealing a sample chamber and the atmosphere, to a second hollow pipe for forming an X-movement shaft. CONSTITUTION:A non-magnetic tensile coil spring 10 is provided on the outer periphery of a bellows 42 provided on the vacuum side, and the one end of the spring is connected to the front end part of an X-movement shaft 50 and the other end to a device frame. The spring 10 is extended and contracted in relation to X-movement by mounting the coil spring 10 on the outer periphery of the bellows, while the spring is rotated and tilted around the supporting points of the both ends of the spring 10 serving as a center at the time of Y- and Z-movements. The atmospheric pressure applied to the shaft 50 is canceled by the spring force, and fine X-movement is possible while the abrasion of the feeding spring of the X-movement is reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sample device such as an electron microscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional side end-reli type goniometer used for an ultra-high vacuum transmission electron microscope (TEM), a spherical surface which is a fulcrum of Y and Z movements cannot be vacuum-sealed by an O-ring. Therefore, the present applicant has already proposed to attach a bellows on the vacuum side of the spherical surface and move the X, Y, and Z movements by the deflection of the bellows (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-2565).
08), which will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the sample apparatus perpendicular to the electron beam optical axis, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the sample apparatus in the electron beam optical axis direction.
6 is a diagram for explaining the X motion, FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the Z motion, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the Z motion, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the Y motion. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the sample holder 31 is attached to the sample holder pedestal 32 at the tip of the sample device, and is inserted into the sample chamber 36 through the sample chamber wall 33. In the sample device, an X-moving shaft 50 having an axis perpendicular to the electron beam optical axis is provided in a cylindrical support body 40 whose inner surface is a spherical bearing 41, and Y / Z movements provided around this are provided. The spherical bulging portion 52 of the shaft 51 is swingably supported by the spherical bearing 41. X motion shaft 50
A magnet 56 magnetically coupled to the magnet 54 mounted on the Y / Z moving shaft 51 is mounted inside the X
The shaft tilt shaft 55 is provided, and the Y / Z moving shaft 51 is provided.
It is designed to follow the rotation of. Further, inside the shaft 55, a Y-axis sample tilting shaft 94 is provided. The X-moving shaft 50 is attached to one end of a metal bellows 42 that allows movements such as X, Y, and Z movements, and the other end of the bellows 42 is fixed to a cylindrical support 40 and is held in the atmosphere in the sample chamber and the sample apparatus. The side is vacuum-sealed.

Further, the bearing portion for the Y / Z motion shaft 51 of the cylindrical support 40 is the center of Y, Z motion,
The bearing surface is exposed to the atmospheric pressure applied to the bellows 42, and Y.
The spherical surface of the Z moving shaft 51 is pressed. A Y / Z moving shaft 51 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the X moving shaft 50, and Y motion can be obtained by pushing the Y / Z moving shaft 51 in the Y direction with a Y-axis driving lever.

That is, FIG. 9 which is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.
With reference to FIG.
64 is driven to rotate, and the screw 65 rotates to slide the slider 66. As a result, the lever 60 moves to the fulcrum 60.
A spring 61 which is rotated around a and is provided on the opposite side
To move the Y / Z moving shaft 51 in the Y-axis direction,
The movement to the opposite side is performed by the spring 61, and thus the sample is moved in the Y-axis direction.

The Z movement is shown in FIG. 7 viewed from the direction of arrow D in FIG.
And as shown in FIG. 8 which is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
The gears 71, 72 are rotationally driven by the shaft driving motor 70, the feed screw 73 is rotated and slid, and the Z-axis lever 75 is rotated about the fulcrum 76, and the Y / Z moving shaft 51 is displaced in the Z-axis direction. It is designed to let you. At this time, the movement to the opposite side is performed by the spring 77, and thus the sample can be moved in the Z-axis direction.

Further, a bearing 45 is attached to the block 45 in FIG. 4 to form a bearing for tilting the X-axis, and the block 45 is finely moved by a means (not shown) to adjust the axis of the entire goniometer ( Eucentric matching) is possible.

For the X-axis tilt, the worm gear 59 and the tilt gear 57 are rotationally driven by the X-axis tilt drive unit 58, and as a result, the Y / Z moving shaft 51 is rotationally driven and the magnet 54 is rotated. The rotation of the magnet 56 magnetically coupled with the X-axis tilting shaft 55 to which the magnet 56 is attached rotates to tilt the sample around the X-axis. At this time, the bearing 46 serves as a rotary bearing for the shaft 55.

Next, the X movement will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6A, when the gears 81 and 82 are rotationally driven by the X-axis driving motor 80, and as a result, the screw 83 is rotated, the slider 84 is rotated. Moves axially, lever 85
Is swung around the support shaft 86. As shown in FIG. 6B, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 4, the lever 85 swinging around the support shaft 86 is provided with the support points 87, which are bearings, on the left and right, and is attached to the X motion shaft 51. Ring 89
Is pushed in the axial direction.

The X-axis drive mechanism including the X-axis drive motor 80 and the lever 85 is attached to the Y / Z moving shaft 51, and the ring 89 is attached to the X moving shaft 50. As a result, the X-moving shaft 50 moves in the axial direction, and the axial movement is obtained. The movement at this time is allowed by the bellows 42 while maintaining a vacuum. The fulcrum 87 serves as a bearing, and as shown in FIG. 5, the fulcrum 87 rotates about a shaft 88 and rotatably engages with a ring 89.

In this way, the Y / Z moving shaft 5 which is spherically supported by the cylindrical support 40 and is eucentrically driven.
By attaching the X motion lever and the X motion feed mechanism to 1,
A 4-axis eucentric goniometer with X, Y, Z movement and X-axis tilt is possible.

A shaft 94 having one end connected to the metal bellows 95 is provided in the shaft 55. As shown in FIG. 5, when the Y-axis tilt drive motor 90 rotates the gear 92 via the gear 91, the screw 93 moves back and forth, which causes the shaft 94 to move back and forth. The back and forth movement of the shaft 94 is allowed by the metal bellows 95, and the vacuum sealing of this portion is performed. As a result, the sample holder 31 is rotated around the Y axis by a mechanism (not shown).

[0013]

By the way, in the above-mentioned proposal, the bellows mounted on the vacuum side of the spherical surface has a large bellows diameter, and atmospheric pressure is applied to the bellows, and the force is applied to the X-axis of the goniometer. The X-motion shaft receives a large amount of force because it is entirely applied to the shaft, and a large X-driving force is required so that smooth X-motion cannot be performed.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sample device such as an electron microscope capable of reducing the force applied to the X-moving shaft and performing a delicate movement of the X-movement. To do.

[0015]

According to the present invention, there is provided a first hollow which is supported by a spherical bearing formed on the inner surface of a tubular body frame and which swings about the bearing by at least a Y-axis driving means and a Z-axis driving means. A pipe, a second hollow pipe coaxially provided in the first hollow pipe and axially driven by the X-axis driving means, and arranged between the second hollow pipe tip and the tubular body frame, In a side entry goniometer provided with a metal bellows for sealing the sample chamber and the atmosphere, a driving force applying means for applying a force in a direction opposite to the atmospheric pressure acting on the metal bellows to the second hollow pipe is provided. Characterize.

[0016]

According to the present invention, in a side-entry type goniometer used in an ultra high vacuum electron microscope, a force acting in the direction opposite to the atmospheric pressure acting on the metal bellows that seals the sample chamber from the atmosphere constitutes the X-moving shaft. Since the atmospheric pressure can be reduced by providing the hollow pipe to the second hollow pipe, it is possible to perform a delicate X movement.

[0017]

Embodiments Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view parallel to the electron beam optical axis of a sample device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a mounting state of a coil spring used in the present invention. Note that the overall configuration of the device and the reference numerals are the same as those in FIGS.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a non-magnetic tension coil spring 10 is provided on the outer circumference of a bellows 42 provided on the vacuum side, and one end of the extension coil spring 50 is provided at the tip of the X-moving shaft 50. , The other end is connected to the device frame. This coil spring has a shape in which the coil end is hooked as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) which are AA sectional views and BB sectional views of FIG. 1 and as shown in FIG. 2 (c). Mount multiple on the outer circumference of the shaft. At this time, the overall spring force is the bellows 42.
Set a little lower than the atmospheric pressure applied to.

As described above, by attaching the tension coil spring to the outer circumference of the bellows, the coil spring expands and contracts during the X movement, and rotates and tilts about the support points at both ends of the coil spring during the Y and Z movements. With such a configuration, the atmospheric pressure applied to the X-movement shaft 50 is canceled by the spring force, and it becomes possible to perform a delicate X-movement. Further, it is desirable that the coil spring is arranged in the vicinity of the spherical bearing 41 because it requires the least amount of movement and does not interfere with other components.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. A magnet 54 is provided on the outside of the Y / Z moving shaft 51 that is integral with the spherical bulging portion 52 on the outside of the X moving shaft 50 of the sample device, and on the X-axis tilt shaft 55 that is arranged inside the X moving shaft 50. Although the magnet 56 is attached, in the present embodiment, both magnets are displaced in the shaft direction as shown in FIG. Due to the displacement of the magnets, a magnetic force generated between the magnets acts on the X-moving shaft 50 connected to the X-axis tilted shaft 55 in a direction opposite to the direction of the force received by the atmospheric pressure.
The force with which the X-moving shaft 50 is pressed against the vacuum side can be reduced. The magnetic force may be either repulsive force or attractive force, but attractive force is more effective.

In the above embodiment, the inner magnet 5 is used.
6 was attached to the X-axis tilt shaft 55,
It may be attached to the X motion shaft 50.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the atmospheric pressure applied to the X-moving shaft.
It is possible to significantly reduce the dynamic driving force and perform a delicate movement of the X movement, and it is also possible to reduce wear of the feed screw for the X movement.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view perpendicular to an electron beam optical axis of a sample device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mounting state of a coil spring.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view perpendicular to the electron beam optical axis of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view perpendicular to the electron beam optical axis of the proposed sample device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an already proposed sample device in an electron beam optical axis direction.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an X movement.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining Z movement.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining Z movement.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a Y movement.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Coil spring, 41 ... Spherical bearing, 42 ... Metal bellows, 50 ... X moving shaft, 51 ... Y / Z moving shaft,
52 ... Spherical bulge, 54 ... Magnet, 55 ... X-axis tilted shaft, 56 ... Magnet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first hollow pipe, which is supported by a spherical bearing formed on the inner surface of a tubular body frame and swings about the bearing by at least Y-axis driving means and Z-axis driving means, and a first hollow pipe. It is installed coaxially in the pipe, and X
A side entry including a second hollow pipe axially driven by a shaft driving means, and a metal bellows arranged between the tip end of the second hollow pipe and the tubular body frame to seal the sample chamber from the atmosphere. A sample device such as an electron microscope, wherein the goniometer is provided with a driving force applying means for applying a force in the direction opposite to the atmospheric pressure acting on the metal bellows to the second hollow pipe.