Sample transfer device in vacuum environment

Abstract

The invention discloses a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment, which comprises a shell, a material transfer cavity is formed in the shell, the shell is provided with a feed port and a discharge port, the feed cavity is communicated with the material transfer cavity through the feed port, and the discharge cavity is communicated with the material transfer cavity through the discharge port; the vacuumizing mechanism is fixedly installed on the shell and communicates with the material conveying cavity. The sample transfer table is movably arranged in the material transfer cavity and is used for placing a sample; the first operating rod is fixedly mounted with the sample transfer table and is used for driving the sample transfer table to move in the material transfer cavity; the second operating rod is arranged in the feeding cavity and is used for moving the sample from the feeding cavity to the sample transfer table; and the third operating rod is arranged in the discharging cavity and is used for moving the sample from the sample transfer table into the discharging cavity. According to the invention, the sample can be transferred and exchanged between two or more than two pieces of equipment in a vacuum environment, so that the sample is prevented from being exposed in an atmospheric environment and oxidized by air, and the accuracy of a sample characterization test is maintained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of vacuum machinery, and in particular relates to a sample transfer device under a vacuum environment. Background Art

[0002] After nanomaterials are prepared and generated in a vacuum environment, since the material growth, processing, and testing equipment are independent of each other, when the material samples are transferred to the device process equipment or test and analysis equipment for material processing or testing, they are exposed to the atmospheric environment, which will cause the samples to oxidize in the air, and the material surface will adsorb impurities and gas molecules in the air, thus affecting the intrinsic test. In order to enable different ultra-high vacuum instruments to test and characterize the same sample, people have invented an ultra-high vacuum interconnection system, which can achieve the growth, testing, and processing of samples in an ultra-high vacuum environment without contaminating or damaging the sample surface. However, due to the diversity of various growth and testing equipment, the sample transfer and exchange between multiple devices has not been well integrated with the ultra-high vacuum interconnection system, and there is still the problem of possible exposure to the atmospheric environment, which may cause the sample to oxidize in the air.

[0003] Therefore, in view of the above technical problems, it is necessary to provide a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A sample transfer device under a vacuum environment is used to transfer a sample from a feed chamber to a discharge chamber, the sample transfer device comprising:

[0007] A shell, wherein a material transfer cavity is formed in the shell, and a feed port and a material discharge port are provided on the shell, wherein the feed cavity is connected to the material transfer cavity through the feed port, and the discharge cavity is connected to the material transfer cavity through the discharge port;

[0008] A vacuum pumping mechanism is fixedly mounted on the housing and communicated with the material transfer chamber;

[0009] A sample transfer table, movably disposed in the material transfer cavity, for placing samples;

[0010] A first operating rod, fixedly mounted on the sample transfer platform, and used to drive the sample transfer platform to move in the material transfer chamber;

[0011] A second operating rod, disposed in the feed chamber, for moving the sample from the feed chamber to the sample transfer table;

[0012] The third operating rod is disposed in the discharge cavity and is used to move the sample from the sample transfer platform to the discharge cavity.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first operating rod is a magnetic rod, which includes an outer rod body, an external magnet slidably mounted on the outside of the outer rod body, and an inner rod body slidably mounted on the inside of the outer rod body. The first end of the inner rod body is fixedly mounted on the sample transfer table, and the second end of the inner rod body is provided with an inner magnet that is magnetically attracted to the external magnet.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sample transfer device further comprises:

[0015] A bracket, on which the housing is fixedly mounted;

[0016] A driving motor is fixedly mounted on the bracket;

[0017] A support, fixedly mounted on the bracket;

[0018] The conveyor belt is arranged on the support and is installed in linkage with the driving motor, and the external magnet is fixedly installed on the conveyor belt.

[0019] In one embodiment, the driving motor is a servo motor, and the sample transfer device under a vacuum environment further includes an encoder communicatively connected to the servo motor.

[0020] In one embodiment, a first limit switch and a second limit switch are respectively provided on the support, and the distance between the first limit switch and the second limit switch is equal to the distance between the feed port and the discharge port.

[0021] In one embodiment, the sample transfer platform includes a bottom plate fixedly mounted to the first operating rod and two fixing frames extending upward and symmetrically arranged on the bottom plate, and the fixing frames are provided with first fixing grooves for fixing samples.

[0022] In one embodiment, the second operating rod and the third operating rod are both provided with a sampling head for taking samples.

[0023] In one embodiment, the sampling head includes a main body fixedly mounted to the second operating rod or the third operating rod and a first cantilever and a second cantilever extending toward the material transfer chamber and relatively arranged on the main body, and the distance between the first cantilever and the second cantilever is greater than the dimension of the sample transfer platform along the short axis direction.

[0024] In one embodiment, a second fixing groove for fixing the sample is provided on the first cantilever and / or the second cantilever.

[0025] In one embodiment, the first operating rod, the second operating rod, and the third operating rod are all magnetic rods.

[0026] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] The present invention provides a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment, which realizes the transfer and exchange of samples between two or more devices in a vacuum environment, avoiding the samples from being exposed to the atmospheric environment and oxidized by air, so as to maintain the accuracy of sample characterization test. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a first operating rod, a bracket, a driving motor, a support, and a conveyor belt in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of the local structure at point A in the middle;

[0033] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A magnified view of the local structure at point B in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0035] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the product of the application is conventionally placed when in use, or are the orientations or positional relationships conventionally understood by those skilled in the art. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, etc. used herein do not specifically refer to order or sequence, nor are they used to limit the present case. They are only used to distinguish components or operations described with the same technical terms.

[0040] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0041] The technical solution of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Reference Figure 1As shown, a sample transfer device under a vacuum environment in a specific embodiment of the present invention is used to transport the sample in the feed chamber to the discharge chamber. The sample transfer device in this embodiment includes: a shell 1, a vacuum pumping device, a sample transfer table 3, a first operating rod 4, a second operating rod 5, and a third operating rod 6. Among them, a material transfer chamber 13 is formed in the shell 1, and a feed port 11 and a discharge port 12 are provided on the shell 1. The feed chamber is connected with the material transfer chamber 13 through the feed port 11, and the discharge chamber is connected with the material transfer chamber 13 through the discharge port 12; the vacuum mechanism 2 is fixedly installed on the shell 1 and is connected with the material transfer chamber 13; the sample transfer table 3 is movably arranged in the material transfer chamber 13 for placing samples; the first operating rod 4 is fixedly installed with the sample transfer table 3, and is used to drive the sample transfer table 3 to move in the material transfer chamber 13; the second operating rod 5 is arranged in the feed chamber, and is used to move the sample from the feed chamber to the sample transfer table 3; the third operating rod 6 is arranged in the discharge chamber, and is used to move the sample from the sample transfer table 3 to the discharge chamber.

[0043] Among them, the first operating rod 4 in this embodiment can move along the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13, the second operating rod 5 can move along the length direction of the feed chamber and can move along the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13; the third operating rod 6 can move along the length direction of the discharge chamber and can move along the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13.

[0044] It should be noted that the head of the second operating rod 5 is provided with a sample to be transferred, and the sample transfer stage 3 is first controlled by the first operating rod 4 to move along the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13. When the sample transfer stage 3 moves to the approximate height of the feed inlet 11, the second operating rod 5 is controlled to move toward the material transfer chamber 13 to transfer the sample to the top of the sample transfer stage 3, and then the second operating rod 5 is controlled to move downward to place the sample on the sample transfer stage 3, and then the second operating rod 5 is controlled to move away from the material transfer chamber 13, thereby driving the sample to move from the feed chamber to the material transfer chamber 13. Then, the sample transfer table 3 is controlled to move along the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13 by the first operating rod 4. When the sample transfer table 3 moves to the approximate height of the discharge port 12, the third operating rod 6 is controlled to move toward the material transfer chamber 13 until the head part of the third operating rod 6 is located below the sample. Then, the third operating rod 6 is controlled to move upward, so that the sample can be placed on the head part of the third operating rod 6 and the sample is separated from the sample transfer table 3. Then, the third operating rod 6 is controlled to move away from the material transfer chamber 13, thereby driving the sample to move from the material transfer chamber 13 to the discharge chamber.

[0045] According to this design, the sample transfer device can be used to transfer and exchange samples between two or more devices in a vacuum environment, avoiding the exposure of the sample to the atmospheric environment and oxidation by air, so as to maintain the accuracy of the sample characterization test.

[0046] Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and multiple discharge ports 12 may also be provided, each discharge port 12 being connected to a discharge cavity, and the sample in the feed cavity may be transferred to any one or more of the multiple discharge cavities through the sample transfer table 3, which can be understood and accepted by those skilled in the art.

[0047] In order to control the movement of the sample transfer stage 3 by the first operating rod 4, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the first operating rod 4 in this embodiment is a magnetic rod, and the first operating rod 4 includes an outer rod body 41, an outer magnet 42 slidably mounted on the outside of the outer rod body 41, and an inner rod body 43 slidably mounted inside the outer rod body 41. The first end of the inner rod body 43 is fixedly mounted on the sample transfer table 3, and the second end of the inner rod body 43 is provided with an inner magnet 44 that is magnetically attracted to the outer magnet 42. Among them, the first end of the inner rod body 43 is exposed from the outer rod body 41, and the second end of the inner rod body 43 is always located in the outer rod body 41. According to this design, the position of the outer magnet 42 on the outer rod body 41 can be controlled manually or electrically to control the position of the inner magnet 44 in the outer rod body 41, thereby controlling the inner rod body 43 to slide in the outer rod body 41, so that the sample transfer table 3 moves in the material transfer chamber 13.

[0048] Preferably, the first operating rod 4 , the second operating rod 5 , and the third operating rod 6 in this embodiment are all magnetic rods.

[0049] Optionally, refer to Figure 1 to Figure 3 As shown, in order to electrically control the external magnet 42 to slide outside the outer rod 41, the sample transfer device in this embodiment also includes: a bracket 7, the housing 1 is fixedly mounted on the bracket 7; a driving motor 81, fixedly mounted on the bracket 7; a support 82, fixedly mounted on the bracket 7; a conveyor belt 83, which is arranged on the support 82 and installed in linkage with the driving motor 81, and the external magnet 42 is fixedly mounted on the conveyor belt 83. Among them, the driving motor 81 can be any linear driving motor 81 such as a servo motor, a stepping motor, an asynchronous motor, etc.; the conveyor belt 83 can be a belt, a chain, a rack, etc. According to this design, the external magnet 42 can be controlled to slide on the outer rod 41 by controlling the movement of the conveyor belt 83 through the driving motor 81.

[0050] Furthermore, the driving motor 81 in this embodiment is a servo motor, and the sample transfer device under vacuum environment also includes an encoder connected to the servo motor. The movement of the conveyor belt 83 can be controlled according to the pulse output by the encoder, thereby controlling the sliding of the external magnet 42 on the external rod 41, and finally achieving the purpose of controlling the position of the sample transfer stage 3 in the material transfer chamber 13.

[0051] Optionally, in order to more conveniently adjust the position of the sample transfer table 3 at the approximate height of the feed port 11 and the discharge port 12, the support 82 in this embodiment is respectively provided with a first limit switch and a second limit switch, and the distance between the first limit switch and the second limit switch is equal to the distance between the feed port 11 and the discharge port 12.

[0052] Reference Figure 4 As shown, the sample transfer platform 3 in this embodiment includes a bottom plate 31 fixedly mounted with the first operating rod 4 and two fixing frames 32 extending upward and symmetrically arranged on the bottom plate 31, and the fixing frames 32 are provided with a first fixing groove 321 for fixing the sample. Among them, the fixing frame 32 is roughly arc-shaped, and the size of the fixing frame 32 along the length direction is smaller than the diameter corresponding to the arc. The two fixing frames 32 are arranged opposite to each other, and the arc shapes presented by the two fixing frames 32 are located on the same circle. According to this design, the sample can be fixed in the first fixing groove 321 to prevent it from being displaced or detached from the sample transfer platform 3 during the up and down displacement process.

[0053] At the same time, in order to facilitate taking samples, the second operating rod 5 and the third operating rod 6 in this embodiment are both provided with a sampling head 9 for taking samples.

[0054] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 5 As shown, the sampling head 9 in this embodiment includes a main body 91 fixedly mounted with the second operating rod 5 or the third operating rod 6, and a first cantilever 92 and a second cantilever 93 extending toward the material transfer chamber 13 and relatively arranged on the main body 91, and the distance between the first cantilever 92 and the second cantilever 93 is greater than the dimension of the sample transfer table 3 along the minor axis direction. According to this design, the first cantilever 92, the second cantilever 93 and the main body 91 enclose a sampling area. When taking or placing a sample from the sample transfer table 3 by the second operating rod 5 or the third operating rod 6, the orthographic projections of the two fixing frames 32 on the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13 are located inside the sampling area of ​​the orthographic projection of the sampler on the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the material transfer chamber 13, and the sample can at least partially contact the first cantilever 92 and the second cantilever 93, so as to be stably placed on the sampling head 9.

[0055] Further, see Figure 5 As shown, in order to prevent the sample from being displaced during the process of taking and placing the sample through the sampling head 9, the first cantilever 92 and the second cantilever 93 in this embodiment are both provided with a second fixing groove 94 for fixing the sample. Of course, when only the first cantilever 92 is provided with the second fixing groove 94 or the second cantilever 93 is provided with the second fixing groove 94, the sample can be prevented from being displaced to a certain extent.

[0056] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0057] The present invention provides a sample transfer device in a vacuum environment, which realizes the transfer and exchange of samples between two or more devices in a vacuum environment, avoiding the samples from being exposed to the atmospheric environment and oxidized by air, so as to maintain the accuracy of sample characterization test.

[0058] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and range of equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0059] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A sample transfer device under vacuum environment, used to transfer the sample from the feed chamber to the discharge chamber, characterized in that: The sample transfer device comprises: A shell, wherein a material transfer cavity is formed in the shell, and a feed port and a material discharge port are provided on the shell, wherein the feed cavity is connected to the material transfer cavity through the feed port, and the discharge cavity is connected to the material transfer cavity through the discharge port; A vacuum pumping mechanism is fixedly mounted on the housing and communicated with the material transfer chamber; A sample transfer table, movably disposed in the material transfer cavity, for placing samples; A first operating rod, fixedly mounted on the sample transfer platform, and used to drive the sample transfer platform to move in the material transfer chamber; A second operating rod, disposed in the feed chamber, for moving the sample from the feed chamber to the sample transfer table; The third operating rod is disposed in the discharge cavity and is used to move the sample from the sample transfer platform to the discharge cavity.

2. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first operating rod is a magnetic rod, which includes an outer rod body, an outer magnet slidably mounted on the outside of the outer rod body, and an inner rod body slidably mounted on the inside of the outer rod body. The first end of the inner rod body is fixedly mounted on the sample transfer table, and the second end of the inner rod body is provided with an inner magnet that is magnetically attracted to the outer magnet.

3. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sample transfer device also includes: A bracket, on which the housing is fixedly mounted; A driving motor is fixedly mounted on the bracket; A support, fixedly mounted on the bracket; The conveyor belt is arranged on the support and is installed in linkage with the driving motor, and the external magnet is fixedly installed on the conveyor belt.

4. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving motor is a servo motor, and the sample transfer device under a vacuum environment further comprises an encoder communicatively connected to the servo motor.

5. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support is provided with a first limit switch and a second limit switch respectively, and the distance between the first limit switch and the second limit switch is equal to the distance between the feed port and the discharge port.

6. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample transfer platform comprises a bottom plate fixedly mounted to the first operating rod and two fixing frames extending upward and symmetrically arranged on the bottom plate, wherein the fixing frames are provided with first fixing grooves for fixing samples.

7. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second operating rod and the third operating rod are both provided with sampling heads for taking samples.

8. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sampling head includes a main body fixedly mounted to the second operating rod or the third operating rod and a first cantilever and a second cantilever extending toward the material transfer chamber and relatively arranged on the main body, and the distance between the first cantilever and the second cantilever is greater than the dimension of the sample transfer platform along the short axis direction.

9. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first cantilever and / or the second cantilever is provided with a second fixing groove for fixing the sample.

10. The sample transfer device under vacuum environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first operating rod, the second operating rod and the third operating rod are all magnetic rods.

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