Electron microscope sample table

Abstract

The invention discloses an electron microscope sample stage which comprises a sample stage coupling assembly and a position adjusting seat, the sample stage coupling assembly comprises a static sample stage and an in-situ stretching stage, the position adjusting seat is used for being connected with an electron microscope door, and the static sample stage and the in-situ stretching stage are both arranged on the position adjusting seat. And the position adjusting seat can finely adjust the position of the sample stage coupling assembly relative to the electron microscope door. According to the invention, the static sample stage and the in-situ stretching stage are simultaneously mounted by using the position adjusting seat with higher adaptation degree with the electron microscope, so that the coupling of the two sample stages is realized, and the defects that the conventional electron microscope has no adaptive stretching stage, and special stretching stages need to be formulated for different electron microscopes, so that the experimental period is prolonged, the equipment cost is increased, and the working efficiency is high are overcome. In addition, the in-situ stretching table and the static sample table are installed and arranged in an up-and-down non-interference mode, different sample tables can be flexibly selected for experiment operation without disassembly and assembly, and the observation requirements of various samples in a laboratory can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of in-situ sample stage loading of scanning electron microscopes, and particularly to a novel electron microscope sample stage. Background Art

[0002] A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a large-scale precision instrument for high-resolution micro-area morphology analysis, which can be simply referred to as an "electron microscope". The sample stage is a platform for loading (placing) observation samples during in-situ observation with the electron microscope. Although different electron microscope manufacturers provide sample stages of various styles, in actual use, different sample stages need to be frequently disassembled and replaced according to different observation samples, such as a static sample stage and a tensile stage. When a tensile stage is required for in-situ dynamic observation, the static sample stage usually needs to be disassembled and replaced with a tensile stage to meet the experimental requirements. The replacement of the sample stage is not only cumbersome and time-consuming, but also the current tensile stage has poor matching. For most electron microscope models, a specially single-matched customized tensile stage is required, which leads to a longer experimental period, an increase in equipment cost, more electron microscope cable interfaces, and a poor operation and use experience.

[0003] Based on this, the present invention proposes a novel electron microscope sample stage to overcome the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel electron microscope sample stage, which integrates a tensile stage on a static sample stage, realizes the coupling of the two sample stages, and can realize the replacement and use of different sample stages without disassembly. Moreover, it avoids formulating a special tensile stage for different electron microscopes, can shorten the experimental period, improve the experimental efficiency, reduce the equipment cost, simplify the electron microscope cable interface, and improve the experimental operation and use experience, so as to solve the problems existing in the above prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0006] The present invention provides an electron microscope sample stage, including a sample stage coupling component and a position adjustment base, wherein:

[0007] The sample stage coupling component includes a static sample stage and an in-situ tensile stage;

[0008] The position adjustment base is used for assembling and connecting with the electron microscope door. The static sample stage and the in-situ tensile stage are both arranged on the position adjustment base, and the position adjustment base can adjust the position of the sample stage coupling component relative to the electron microscope door.

[0009] In some embodiments, the position adjustment base is a three-dimensional adjustment base, which includes an X-direction moving stage, a Y-direction moving stage, and a Z-direction moving stage, wherein:

[0010] The Z-direction mobile stage includes a Z-direction support and a Z-direction linear electric slide disposed on the Z-direction support. The Z-direction support is used for mounting on the electron microscope door;

[0011] The Y-direction mobile stage includes a Y-direction support and a Y-direction linear electric slide disposed on the Y-direction support. The Y-direction support is disposed on the slider of the Z-direction linear electric slide, and the driving direction of the slider of the Y-direction linear electric slide is perpendicular to the driving direction of the slider of the Z-direction linear electric slide;

[0012] The X-direction mobile stage includes an X-direction support and an X-direction linear electric slide disposed on the X-direction support. The X-direction support is disposed on the slider of the Y-direction linear electric slide, and the driving direction of the slider of the X-direction linear electric slide is perpendicular to both the driving direction of the slider of the Z-direction linear electric slide and the driving direction of the slider of the Y-direction linear electric slide;

[0013] Both the static sample stage and the in-situ tensile stage are disposed on the slider of the X-direction linear electric slide.

[0014] In some embodiments, the in-situ tensile stage includes:

[0015] A tensile stage bottom plate, which is disposed on the slider of the X-direction linear electric slide, or the tensile stage bottom plate serves as the slider of the X-direction linear electric slide and is assembled and connected with the lead screw and the slide rail of the X-direction linear electric slide;

[0016] Two oppositely arranged clamps, a clamping position is formed between the two clamps. The clamping position is used for accommodating a tensile stage sample, and the two clamps are respectively used for clamping both ends of the tensile stage sample;

[0017] A tensile drive, which is disposed on the tensile stage bottom plate, and each clamp is respectively connected to one tensile drive. The tensile drive can drive the two clamps to move away from each other to realize the stretching of the tensile stage sample;

[0018] The static sample stage is disposed on the tensile stage bottom plate and is located below the clamping position.

[0019] In some embodiments, the static sample stage is mounted on the tensile stage bottom plate through a loading bracket. The static sample stage includes:

[0020] A rotating worm wheel disc, which is movably mounted on the loading bracket and is located below the clamping position; a plurality of sample loading positions for loading observation samples are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the rotating worm wheel disc, and a toothed ring is disposed outside the rotating worm wheel disc;

[0021] A worm, rotatably mounted on the loading bracket or the bottom plate of the stretching table, and meshed with the toothed ring;

[0022] A rotary drive, arranged on the loading bracket or the bottom plate of the stretching table, the rotary drive is used to drive the worm to drive the rotary worm wheel disc to rotate in place, so as to realize the switching of the sample loading position.

[0023] In some embodiments, the electron microscope sample stage further includes a heating / cooling module for heating or cooling the sample, which includes:

[0024] A columnar ceramic core inserted into the center of the static sample stage, a cooling medium circulation channel is arranged in the columnar ceramic core, and the cooling medium circulation channel is used to connect to an external cooling medium source to cool the columnar ceramic core;

[0025] A resistance wire wound around the outer periphery of the columnar ceramic core, and the resistance wire is used to connect to an external power source to heat the columnar ceramic core.

[0026] In some embodiments, the X-direction linear electric slide table includes an X-direction lead screw and two X-direction slide rails. The X-direction lead screw is rotatably mounted on the X-direction support, and the two X-direction slide rails are arranged on the X-direction support and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the X-direction lead screw. Any one of the X-direction slide rails is parallel to the X-direction lead screw;

[0027] Threaded holes that are threadedly engaged with the X-direction lead screw are provided at the bottom of the bottom plate of the stretching table, and steps that are slidably engaged with the X-direction slide rails are respectively provided on both sides of the bottom plate of the stretching table.

[0028] In some embodiments, the stretching drive is a telescopic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0029] In some embodiments, the stretching drive is an electric slide table, which includes:

[0030] A fixture slide table, slidably assembled on the bottom plate of the stretching table, and each fixture is connected to one of the fixture slide tables;

[0031] A bidirectional lead screw, rotatably mounted on the bottom plate of the stretching table, the two ends of the bidirectional lead screw are respectively provided with thread segments with opposite helix directions, and the two ends of the bidirectional lead screw respectively penetrate through the two fixture slide tables and are threadedly connected to the fixture slide tables;

[0032] A stretching drive motor, arranged on the bottom plate of the stretching table and connected to the bidirectional lead screw, the stretching drive motor is used to drive the bidirectional lead screw to rotate, so as to drive the two fixtures synchronously and in opposite directions.

[0033] In some embodiments, a friction surface is provided on the clamping surface of each fixture.

[0034] In some embodiments, travel limit switches are provided in each of the X-axis linear electric slide, the Y-axis linear electric slide, and the Z-axis linear electric slide.

[0035] The present invention has achieved the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0036] The structure design of the electron microscope sample stage proposed by the present invention is reasonable. It uses a position adjustment base with a higher adaptability to the electron microscope to install the static sample stage and the in-situ tensile stage at the same time, not only realizing the coupling of the two sample stages, overcoming the problem that conventional electron microscopes do not have a suitable tensile stage and need to develop a special tensile stage for different electron microscopes, which results in a longer experimental period, an increase in equipment cost, more electron microscope cable interfaces, and a poor operation and use experience. Moreover, without disassembling the sample stage, different sample stages can be flexibly selected for corresponding observation experiment operations, with high flexibility and meeting the multi-type experimental observation needs of various samples in the laboratory.

[0037] In some technical solutions disclosed by the present invention, the in-situ tensile stage and the static sample stage adopt a non-interfering installation layout with upper and lower layers. When the in-situ tensile stage is not used for in-situ tensile observation, the in-situ tensile stage and the corresponding cables do not need to be disassembled, and the static sample stage can be immediately used for static observation of conventional samples, improving the overall functionality of the sample stage and also enhancing its flexible adaptability.

[0038] In addition, the heating / cooling module adopts a modular design and can be disassembled and assembled separately as needed, or the heating or cooling function can be activated during tensile or static observation according to experimental requirements. The integrated design layout of the in-situ tensile stage, the static sample stage, and the heating / cooling module of the present invention has strong operability and high flexibility, and can meet the multi-condition and multi-type observation needs of various samples in the laboratory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0040] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention (without tensile stage sample);

[0041] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention when clamping a tensile stage sample;

[0042] Figure 3Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the static sample stage and the in-situ tensile stage in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tensile stage bottom plate in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the static sample stage in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the heating / cooling module in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 7 Schematic sectional view of the heating / cooling module in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fixture in the electron microscope sample stage disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] In the figure, the reference numerals are:

[0049] 100, electron microscope sample stage;

[0050] 1, position adjustment base; 11, Z-direction moving stage; 111, Z-direction support; 112, Z-direction linear electric slide; 12, Y-direction moving stage; 121, Y-direction support; 122, Y-direction linear electric slide; 13, X-direction moving stage; 131, X-direction support; 132, X-direction linear electric slide; 1321, X-direction lead screw; 1322, X-direction slide rail;

[0051] 2, static sample stage; 21, rotating worm wheel disc; 22, sample loading position; 23, gear ring; 24, worm;

[0052] 3, in-situ tensile stage; 31, tensile stage bottom plate; 311, threaded hole; 312, step; 32, fixture; 321, friction surface; 33, clamping position; 34, tensile stage sample; 35, tensile drive; 351, fixture slide; 352, double-threaded lead screw;

[0053] 4, loading bracket;

[0054] 5, heating / cooling module; 51, columnar ceramic core; 52, cooling medium circulation channel; 53, heating wire. Detailed implementation manners

[0055] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0056] The object of the present invention is to provide a new type of electron microscope sample stage, which integrates a stretching stage on a static sample stage, realizes the coupling of the two sample stages, can realize the replacement and use of different sample stages without disassembly and assembly, and avoids formulating a special stretching stage for different electron microscopes, which can shorten the experimental period, improve the experimental efficiency, reduce the equipment cost, simplify the electron microscope cable interface, and improve the experimental operation experience to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0057] In order to make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0058] Embodiment 1

[0059] As Figure 1 shown, this embodiment provides an electron microscope sample stage 100, including a sample stage coupling component and a position adjustment base 1. Among them, the sample stage coupling component includes a static sample stage 2 and an in-situ stretching stage 3; the position adjustment base 1 is used for assembling and connecting with the electron microscope door, and both the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ stretching stage 3 are arranged on the position adjustment base 1, thus realizing the coupling integration of the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ stretching stage 3. The position adjustment base 1 can finely adjust the position of the sample stage coupling component relative to the electron microscope door so that the electron microscope can observe the samples on the static sample stage 2 or the in-situ stretching stage 3. The above-mentioned electron microscope sample stage 100 uses the position adjustment base 1 with a higher adaptability to the electron microscope to install both the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ stretching stage 3 at the same time, which not only realizes the coupling of the two sample stages, overcomes the problem that conventional electron microscopes have no matching stretching stage and still need to formulate a special stretching stage for different electron microscopes, resulting in a longer experimental period, an increase in equipment cost, more electron microscope cable interfaces, and a poor operation experience, etc., but also the in-situ stretching stage 3 and the static sample stage 2 adopt an up-and-down non-interfering installation layout, and different sample stages can be flexibly selected for experimental operations without disassembly and assembly, with strong operability and high flexibility, and can meet the observation needs of various samples in the laboratory.

[0060] In some feasible embodiments, the position adjustment base 1 can be a multi-directional adjustment mechanism such as a two-dimensional adjustment base, a three-dimensional adjustment base, or a robotic arm. Considering the matching degree and adjustment fineness of the position adjustment base 1 with various models of electron microscopes, it is preferred that the position adjustment base 1 is a three-dimensional adjustment base. As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the three-dimensional adjustment base includes an X-direction moving stage 13, a Y-direction moving stage 12, and a Z-direction moving stage 11, where the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction are perpendicular to each other in pairs. Specifically: The Z-direction moving stage 11 includes a Z-direction support 111 and a Z-direction linear electric slide 112 provided on the Z-direction support 111. The Z-direction support 111 is used for assembly and installation on the door panel of the electron microscope door, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 . At this time, the Z-direction support 111 is vertically arranged, and the Z-direction linear electric slide 112 is parallel to the Z-direction support 111; The Y-direction moving stage 12 includes a Y-direction support 121 and a Y-direction linear electric slide 122 provided on the Y-direction support 121. The Y-direction support 121 is provided on the slider of the Z-direction linear electric slide 112. The Y-direction support 121 is perpendicular to the Z-direction support 111. The Y-direction linear electric slide 122 is parallel to the Y-direction support 121. Correspondingly, the slider driving direction of the Y-direction linear electric slide 122 is perpendicular to the slider driving direction of the Z-direction linear electric slide 112. The overall position of the Y-direction moving stage 12 can be adjusted along the Z-direction by the Z-direction linear electric slide 112; Similarly, the X-direction moving stage 13 includes an X-direction support 131 and an X-direction linear electric slide 132 provided on the X-direction support 131. The X-direction support 131 is provided on the slider of the Y-direction linear electric slide 122. The X-direction support 131 is perpendicular to both the Y-direction support 121 and the Z-direction support 111. The X-direction linear electric slide 132 is arranged parallel to the X-direction support 131. Correspondingly, the slider driving direction of the X-direction linear electric slide 132 is perpendicular to the slider driving directions of both the Y-direction linear electric slide 122 and the Z-direction linear electric slide 112. The overall position of the X-direction moving stage 13 can be jointly adjusted by the Z-direction linear electric slide 112 and the Y-direction linear electric slide 122. The static sample stage 2 and the in-situ tensile stage 3 are both provided on the slider of the X-direction linear electric slide 132 to jointly adjust the orientations of the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ tensile stage 3 through the X-direction linear electric slide 132, the Z-direction linear electric slide 112, and the Y-direction linear electric slide 122, thereby realizing the centering of the electron microscope and the sample and the WD adjustment (WD is the working distance, specifically referring to the distance from the sample stage to the electron microscope pole piece). Moreover, the three-dimensional adjustment stage has the advantage of high adjustment accuracy.

[0061] It should be noted that the X-axis linear electric slide table 132, the Z-axis linear electric slide table 112, and the Y-axis linear electric slide table 122 all adopt the existing electric slide table structure based on lead screws, slide rails, and sliders, and are respectively driven by motors. The motors in the X-axis linear electric slide table 132, the Z-axis linear electric slide table 112, and the Y-axis linear electric slide table 122 are respectively installed on the X-axis support 131, the Z-axis support 111, and the Y-axis support 121. The electric slide table structure is an existing finished product, and its specific structure and functional principle will not be elaborated here. The position adjustment base 1 adopts this structure, and in this solution, the purpose of precisely adjusting the orientation of the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ tensile stage 3 can be achieved.

[0062] In some feasible embodiments, the in-situ tensile stage 3 includes a tensile stage bottom plate 31, clamps 32, and a tensile drive 35. The tensile stage bottom plate 31 serves as the support bottom plate of the entire sample stage coupling assembly and can be installed on the slider of the X-axis linear electric slide table 132 through connection components such as bolts. Two clamps 32 are arranged oppositely, and a clamping position 33 (an installation space) is formed between the two clamps 32. This clamping position 33 is used to accommodate the tensile stage sample 34. The two clamps 32 are respectively used to clamp both ends of the tensile stage sample 34; the tensile drive 35 is arranged on the tensile stage bottom plate 31, and each clamp 32 is respectively connected to a tensile drive 35. The tensile drive 35 can drive the two clamps 32 to move away from each other to achieve the stretching of the tensile stage sample 34. Correspondingly, the tensile drive 35 can also drive the two clamps 32 to move closer to each other to achieve the reset of the clamps 32, or to adjust the space of the clamping position 33 so that the in-situ tensile stage 3 can be adapted to install tensile stage samples 34 of various specifications. As Figure 1 shown, the clamping position 33 is in an unloaded state, as Figure 2 shown, the tensile stage sample 34 is installed in the clamping position 33. In actual operation, the static sample stage 2 is arranged on the tensile stage bottom plate 31 and is located below the clamping position 33. Based on this, the static sample stage 2 and the clamping position 33 do not interfere with each other, and the static sample stage 2 or the in-situ tensile stage 3 can be flexibly used according to the experimental requirements without adjusting or changing the relative positions of the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ tensile stage 3.

[0063] In some feasible embodiments, in order to improve the structural integration of the entire electron microscope sample stage 100, reduce its number of components, lower its production cost, and increase its disassembly and assembly rate, it is preferred to cancel the original slider of the X-axis linear electric slide table 132, but instead use the tensile stage bottom plate 31 as the slider of the X-axis linear electric slide table 132 to be assembled and connected with the lead screw and slide rail of the X-axis linear electric slide table 132. Specifically, as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the X-axis linear electric slide 132 includes an X-axis lead screw 1321 and two X-axis slide rails 1322. The X-axis lead screw 1321 is rotatably installed on the X-axis support 131 and is located at the center of the X-axis support 131. The two X-axis slide rails 1322 are arranged on the X-axis support 131 and are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the X-axis lead screw 1321. Any one of the X-axis slide rails 1322 is parallel to the X-axis lead screw 1321. A threaded hole 311 that is in threaded cooperation with the X-axis lead screw 1321 is provided at the bottom of the stretching table bottom plate 31. The stretching table bottom plate 31 is threadedly sleeved on the X-axis lead screw 1321 through its threaded hole 311. At the same time, steps 312 that are in sliding cooperation with the X-axis slide rails 1322 are respectively provided on both sides of the stretching table bottom plate 31. Based on this, the stretching table bottom plate 31 is assembled with the X-axis lead screw 1321 and the X-axis slide rails 1322 through its threaded hole 311 and the steps 312 on both sides to form the X-axis linear electric slide 132. Driving the X-axis lead screw 1321 to rotate can realize the parallel driving of the stretching table bottom plate 31 along the X-axis, thereby realizing the position adjustment of the entire sample stage coupling assembly. The structural design scheme in which the stretching table bottom plate 31 also serves as the slider of the X-axis linear electric slide 132 not only satisfies the assembly connection between the sample stage coupling assembly and the position adjustment base 1, but also improves the structural integration of the two.

[0064] In some feasible embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the static sample stage 2 is installed on the stretching table bottom plate 31 through the loading bracket 4, and the loading bracket 4 and the stretching table bottom plate 31 can be connected by a positioning pin. The static sample stage 2 is mainly used for in-situ static observation of the sample. It can be a single sample placement stage or a rotating and moving sample stage. The rotating and moving sample stage can place more than 2 and generally no more than 7 observation samples at the same time. When observing, the step of rotating the sample stage is added to observe multiple samples. The advantage is that it is not necessary to repeatedly perform actions such as evacuating and venting the electron microscope chamber, and there is no need to perform excessive centering and large WD adjustments on the sample, which can reduce the experimental intensity and interference of unnecessary human factors, and has an obvious efficiency improvement for observing multiple samples at a time. Based on this, in this embodiment, it is preferred that the static sample stage 2 adopts a rotating and moving sample stage, such as Figure 5As shown, it includes a rotating worm wheel disc 21, a worm 24, and a rotating drive. The rotating worm wheel disc 21 is movably sleeved on the loading bracket 4 and can be rotationally engaged with the loading bracket 4 through bearings, etc. The rotating worm wheel disc 21 is located below the clamping position 33. A plurality of sample loading positions 22 for loading observation samples are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the rotating worm wheel disc 21. The sample loading positions 22 generally adopt a hole structure, and a sample support seat can be installed in the hole to stably place the observation sample through the sample support seat; a whole-ring gear ring 23 is arranged on the outside of the rotating worm wheel disc 21. The worm 24 is rotatably installed on the loading bracket 4 or the stretching table bottom plate 31 and meshes with the gear ring 23; the rotating drive is preferably a motor or a manual rocker arm, which is arranged on the loading bracket 4 or the stretching table bottom plate 31 and is connected to the worm 24. The rotating drive is used to drive the worm 24 to rotate in place, so as to drive the rotating worm wheel disc 21 to rotate in place through the worm 24, thereby realizing the rotational switching of the sample loading positions 22, so that the observation samples in different sample loading positions 22 are alternately observed by the electron microscope. As a preferred solution, 2 to 7 sample loading positions 22 are evenly distributed at intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the rotating worm wheel disc 21.

[0065] In some feasible implementation manners, in order to meet the diverse needs of sample observation, the electron microscope sample stage 100 is further provided with a heating / cooling module 5 for heating or cooling the sample. It includes a resistance wire 53 and a columnar ceramic core 51 inserted into the center of the static sample stage 2. The columnar ceramic core 51 is coaxial with the rotating worm wheel disc 21, and its bottom end can be connected to the above-mentioned loading bracket 4 through a mounting plate. A cooling medium circulation channel 52 is arranged in the columnar ceramic core 51. The cooling medium circulation channel 52 is used to connect to a cooling medium source to cool the columnar ceramic core 51, and further provide a low-temperature environment for sample observation (including tensile observation and static observation). The resistance wire 53 is wound around the outer periphery of the columnar ceramic core 51. The resistance wire 53 is used to connect to a power source to heat the columnar ceramic core 51, and further provide a high-temperature environment for sample observation (including tensile observation and static observation). It should be noted that the above-mentioned cooling medium circulation channel 52 is preferably evenly distributed in the columnar ceramic core 51, such as being spirally distributed along the axial direction of the columnar ceramic core 51, or with the axis of the columnar ceramic core 51 as the center, a plurality of channels are evenly distributed on the outer periphery of its axis (any one of the channels is parallel to the axis of the columnar ceramic core 51), the tops of each channel converge and communicate at one point, and the bottoms of each channel are respectively used to connect to a cooling medium source. The cooling medium source can provide cooling water or liquid nitrogen for the cooling medium circulation channel 52.

[0066] In some feasible embodiments, the heating / cooling module 5 further has a heat-conducting housing, and the resistance wire 53 and the columnar ceramic core 51 are both arranged inside the heat-conducting housing, so that the whole heating / cooling module 5 is modularized, and the heating / cooling module 5 can be independently disassembled and assembled. The heating / cooling module 5 is integrally embedded in the central hole of the rotating worm wheel disc 21, which can shield electromagnetic interference and the like by using the rotating worm wheel disc 21. At the same time, the structural integration of the heating / cooling module 5 and the rotating worm wheel disc 21 is also improved, which is beneficial to the heating / cooling module 5 to provide a fast and effective heating or cooling condition for the sample.

[0067] In this solution, the in-situ tensile stage 3 and the static sample stage 2 adopt an interference-free installation layout with upper and lower layers. When the in-situ tensile stage is not used for in-situ tensile observation, there is no need to disassemble the in-situ tensile stage 3 and the corresponding cables, and the static sample stage 2 can be immediately used for static observation of conventional samples. At the same time, due to the modular design, the heating / cooling module 5 can be disassembled and assembled separately according to needs, or the heating or cooling function can be started during tensile or static observation according to experimental requirements. The integrated design layout of the in-situ tensile stage 3, the static sample stage 2 and the heating / cooling module 5 in this solution has strong operability and high flexibility, and can meet the multi-condition and multi-type observation requirements of various samples in the laboratory.

[0068] In some feasible embodiments, the aforementioned tensile drive 35 is preferably an electric slide table, as Figures 1 to 3 shown. Specifically, it includes a fixture slide table 351, a bidirectional threaded screw 352 and a tensile drive motor. The fixture slide table 351 is slidably assembled on the tensile stage bottom plate 31, and each fixture 32 is connected to a fixture slide table 351; the bidirectional threaded screw 352 is rotatably installed on the tensile stage bottom plate 31, and both ends of the bidirectional threaded screw 352 are respectively provided with threaded segments with opposite helix directions, and both ends of the bidirectional threaded screw 352 respectively penetrate through the two fixture slide tables 351 and are threadedly connected to the fixture slide tables 351; the tensile drive motor is arranged on the tensile stage bottom plate 31 and is connected to the bidirectional threaded screw 352. The tensile drive motor is used to drive the bidirectional threaded screw 352 to rotate, so as to synchronously and reversely drive the two fixtures 32 by using the threaded segments with opposite helix directions. By synchronously and reversely driving the fixtures 32, it can be ensured that the central position of the sample 34 on the tensile stage remains unchanged and is always in place during the tensile experiment for in-situ tensile microscopic observation.

[0069] In some feasible embodiments, as Figure 8 shown, each fixture 32 is preferably an upper and lower clamping fixture including upper and lower clamping blocks, which can be an existing finished fixture, and the specific usage method and principle are not described in detail here. In practical applications, friction surfaces 321 can be arranged on the clamping surfaces of the upper and lower clamping blocks to increase the clamping force of the fixture 32 on the sample. The aforementioned friction surfaces 321 include, but are not limited to, being formed on the clamping surfaces in forms such as sandblasting and knurling.

[0070] In some feasible embodiments, it is preferred that travel limit switches are provided in the X-axis linear electric slide 132, the Y-axis linear electric slide 122, and the Z-axis linear electric slide 112. The travel limit switches are generally provided at both axial ends of the slide rails of the X-axis linear electric slide 132, the Y-axis linear electric slide 122, and the Z-axis linear electric slide 112, and are used to limit the maximum and minimum travel distances when the slider moves in a single direction. The travel limit switches adopt finished products, such as mechanical travel limit switches, photoelectric travel limit switches, magnetic induction travel limit switches, capacitive travel limit switches, ultrasonic travel limit switches, etc. The specific structures and working principles will not be elaborated here.

[0071] In summary, the electron microscope sample stage 100 proposed in this embodiment adopts an X / Y / Z three-axis position adjustment base with strong versatility and adaptable to multiple electron microscope interfaces, integrates and couples the static sample stage 2 and the in-situ tensile stage 3, and at the same time couples and superimposes functions such as sample rotation, movement, switching, heating, and cooling, realizing an integrated multi-functional sample stage design, and enabling in-situ observation of multiple samples under various working conditions. The specific operation steps are as follows:

[0072] (1) Sample stage assembly

[0073] Step 1: Assemble the Z-axis support 111 to the electron microscope door panel, and install the Y-axis moving stage 12 on the slider of the Z-axis linear electric slide 112;

[0074] Step 2: First, install the X-axis support 131 of the X-axis moving stage 13 on the slider of the Y-axis linear electric slide, and then sequentially install the X-axis lead screw 1321, the X-axis slide rail 1322, and the tensile stage bottom plate 31. The tensile stage bottom plate 31 serves as the slider of the X-axis linear electric slide 132 and is adaptively installed with the X-axis lead screw 1321 and the X-axis slide rail 1322;

[0075] Step 3: Install the loading bracket 4 on the tensile stage bottom plate 31, install the heating / cooling module 5 on the loading bracket 4, and then rotatably install the rotating worm wheel disc 21 on the loading bracket 4, and the rotating worm wheel disc 21 is located on the outer periphery of the heating / cooling module 5;

[0076] Step 4: Install all other components of the electron microscope sample stage 100.

[0077] (2) Conduct an electron microscope observation experiment. Before each observation, the centering and WD position of the electron microscope and the sample on the corresponding sample stage can be adjusted through the position adjustment base 1 based on the X / Y / Z three axes.

[0078] 1) In-situ tensile observation

[0079] Place the tensile stage sample 34 at the clamping position 33, clamp both ends using the clamp 32, and drive the two clamps 32 to move away from each other through the tensile drive 35, then the in-situ tensile observation at room temperature can be carried out.

[0080] 2) In-situ heating / cooling tensile observation

[0081] Place the tensile stage sample 34 at the clamping position 33, clamp both ends using the clamp 32, start heating the columnar ceramic core 51 with the resistance wire 53, and drive the two clamps 32 to move away from each other through the tensile drive 35, then the in-situ tensile observation under the heating condition (high temperature condition) can be achieved;

[0082] When cooling is required, introduce liquid nitrogen into the cooling medium circulation channel 52. At the same time, the liquid nitrogen is discharged from the outlet of the cooling medium circulation channel 52. Thus, the circulation of liquid nitrogen in the columnar ceramic core 51 can be utilized to cool the columnar ceramic core 51, and then drive the two clamps 32 to move away from each other through the tensile drive 35, then the in-situ tensile observation under the cooling condition (low temperature condition) can be achieved.

[0083] 3) Conventional static observation

[0084] Place the observation samples at at least two sample loading positions 22 of the rotating worm wheel disc 21. At this time, generally no tensile stage sample 3 is placed at the clamping position 33, and the rotating worm wheel disc 31 can be directly observed through the space of the clamping position 33. Drive the rotating worm wheel disc 21 to rotate, and timely cooperate with the fine position adjustment function of the position adjustment seat 1, and the observation samples at different sample loading positions 22 can be rotated to the range of the electron microscope field of view in turn to carry out the conventional sample static observation.

[0085] The current mainstream electron microscopes are generally only used for the conventional sample static observation, and the observation mode is single. When in-situ tensile observation is to be carried out, it is usually necessary to customize the sample stage to meet the requirements of the electron microscope cavity limitation. When loading conventional samples and conducting in-situ tensile observation, it is usually necessary to frequently replace the sample stage, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also requires operations such as focusing and centering the electron microscope each time it is used, which is very unfriendly to the operator. At the same time, the customized tensile stage is prone to interference with other electron microscope probes, pole shoes and other components in terms of wire routing and vacuum flange interfaces, has poor adaptability, great installation difficulty, and is extremely prone to equipment damage.

[0086] To solve the above problems, the coupled in-situ integrated electron microscope sample stage of this solution directly couples the stretching stage with the X-direction linear electric slide, which not only improves the compatibility between the stretching stage and the electron microscope, reduces the cost of customizing the stretching stage and the installation difficulty of the customized stretching stage, but also simplifies the overall structural size of the electron microscope sample stage, occupying less space than the customized stretching stage. The structural designs such as the heating / cooling module and the rotating worm wheel disk provide feasibility for realizing various observation modes under various working conditions. The whole device directly buries components such as cables in each electric slide, reducing the interference factors of moving parts during actual use. This solution can quickly and flexibly switch between experimental modes such as in-situ stretching, heating / cooling in-situ stretching, and conventional static observation, providing a reliable sample stage solution for the integrated electron microscope.

[0087] Embodiment 2

[0088] This embodiment provides an electron microscope sample stage 100, and the main difference from Embodiment 1 is that the stretching drive 35 is a telescopic air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0089] It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings of this specification are only used to cooperate with the content disclosed in the specification for those familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they do not have any technical substance. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportional relationship, or adjustment of the size, without affecting the effects that the present invention can produce and the purposes that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope covered by the technical content disclosed in the present invention. At the same time, the terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "middle", and "one" cited in this specification are only for convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope under which the present invention can be implemented. The change or adjustment of their relative relationships, without substantial change in the technical content, should also be regarded as the scope under which the present invention can be implemented.

[0090] In the present invention, specific examples are used to elaborate on the principles and implementation manners of the present invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, based on the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manners and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electron microscope sample stage, characterized in that: It comprises a sample stage coupling component and a position adjustment seat (1), wherein: The sample stage coupling assembly comprises a static sample stage (2) and an in-situ stretching stage (3); The position adjustment seat (1) is used for being assembled and connected with the electron microscope door; the static sample stage (2) and the in-situ stretching stage (3) are both arranged on the position adjustment seat (1); and the position adjustment seat (1) can adjust the position of the sample stage coupling component relative to the electron microscope door.

2. The electron microscope sample stage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position adjustment seat (1) is a three-dimensional adjustment seat, which comprises an X-direction moving platform (13), a Y-direction moving platform (12) and a Z-direction moving platform (11), wherein: The Z-direction moving platform (11) comprises a Z-direction support (111) and a Z-direction linear electric slide (112) arranged on the Z-direction support (111), and the Z-direction support (111) is used for being installed on the electronic microscope door; The Y-direction moving platform (12) comprises a Y-direction support (121) and a Y-direction linear electric slide (122) arranged on the Y-direction support (121); the Y-direction support (121) is arranged on a slider of the Z-direction linear electric slide (112); and a slider driving direction of the Y-direction linear electric slide (122) is perpendicular to a slider driving direction of the Z-direction linear electric slide (112); The X-direction moving platform (13) comprises an X-direction support (131) and an X-direction linear electric slide (132) arranged on the X-direction support (131); the X-direction support (131) is arranged on a slider of the Y-direction linear electric slide (122); and a slider driving direction of the X-direction linear electric slide (132) is perpendicular to a slider driving direction of the Z-direction linear electric slide (112) and a slider driving direction of the Y-direction linear electric slide (122); The static sample stage (2) and the in-situ stretching stage (3) are both arranged on a slider of the X-axis linear electric slide table (132).

3. The electron microscope sample stage according to claim 2, characterized in that: The in-situ stretching station (3) comprises: A stretching table bottom plate (31), wherein the stretching table bottom plate (31) is arranged on a slider of the X-axis linear electric slide (132), or the stretching table bottom plate (31) also serves as a slider of the X-axis linear electric slide (132) and is assembled and connected with a lead screw and a slide rail of the X-axis linear electric slide (132); Two clamps (32) arranged opposite to each other, a clamping position (33) is formed between the two clamps (32), the clamping position (33) is used to accommodate a stretching table sample (34), and the two clamps (32) are respectively used to clamp two ends of the stretching table sample (34); A stretching drive (35) is arranged on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching platform, and each of the clamps (32) is respectively connected to one of the stretching drives (35), and the stretching drive (35) can drive the two clamps (32) to move away from each other, so as to achieve stretching of the sample (34) on the stretching platform; The static sample stage (2) is arranged on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching stage and is located below the clamping position (33).

4. The electron microscope sample stage according to claim 3, characterized in that: The static sample stage (2) is mounted on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching stage via a loading bracket (4), and the static sample stage (2) comprises: A rotating worm wheel disc (21) is movably mounted on the loading bracket (4) and is located below the clamping position (33); a plurality of sample loading positions (22) for loading observation samples are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the upper surface of the rotating worm wheel disc (21); and a gear ring (23) is arranged on the outer side of the rotating worm wheel disc (21); A worm (24) rotatably mounted on the loading bracket (4) or the bottom plate (31) of the stretching table and meshing with the ring gear (23); A rotary drive is provided on the loading bracket (4) or the bottom plate (31) of the stretching platform, and is used to drive the worm (24) to drive the rotating worm wheel (21) to rotate in situ, thereby realizing the switching of the sample loading position (22).

5. The electron microscope sample stage according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also included is a heating / cooling module (5) for heating or cooling the sample, comprising: A columnar ceramic core (51) inserted in the center of the static sample stage (2), wherein a cooling medium circulation channel (52) is provided in the columnar ceramic core (51), and the cooling medium circulation channel (52) is used to connect an external cooling medium source to cool the columnar ceramic core (51); A resistance wire (53) is wound around the outer periphery of the columnar ceramic core (51), and the resistance wire (53) is used to connect to an external power source to heat the columnar ceramic core (51).

6. The electron microscope sample stage according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The X-direction linear electric slide (132) comprises an X-direction screw rod (1321) and two X-direction slide rails (1322), wherein the X-direction screw rod (1321) is rotatably mounted on the X-direction support (131), and the two X-direction slide rails (1322) are arranged on the X-direction support (131) and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the X-direction screw rod (1321), and any one of the X-direction slide rails (1322) is parallel to the X-direction screw rod (1321); The bottom of the stretching table bottom plate (31) is provided with a threaded hole (311) threadedly matched with the X-axis screw rod (1321), and the two sides of the stretching table bottom plate (31) are respectively provided with steps (312) slidably matched with the X-axis slide rail (1322).

7. The electron microscope sample stage according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The stretching drive (35) is a telescopic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

8. The electron microscope sample stage according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The stretching drive (35) is an electric slide, which comprises: A fixture slide (351) is slidably mounted on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching platform, and each of the fixtures (32) is connected to a fixture slide (351); A bidirectional threaded screw (352) is rotatably mounted on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching platform, and the two ends of the bidirectional threaded screw (352) are respectively provided with thread segments with opposite rotation directions, and the two ends of the bidirectional threaded screw (352) respectively penetrate the two clamp slides (351) and are threadedly connected to the clamp slides (351); The stretching drive motor is arranged on the bottom plate (31) of the stretching platform and is connected to the bidirectional threaded screw (352). The stretching drive motor is used to drive the bidirectional threaded screw (352) to rotate so as to synchronously and reversely drive the two clamps (32).

9. The electron microscope sample stage according to claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The clamping surface of each clamp (32) is provided with a friction surface (321).

10. The electron microscope sample stage according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The X-axis linear electric slide (132), the Y-axis linear electric slide (122) and the Z-axis linear electric slide (112) are all provided with travel limit switches.

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