A field ion microscope sample stage

Abstract

The present application provides a field ion microscope sample stage, which can generate no electromagnetic effect in use, has no influence on ion microscope use, and is convenient to use, and greatly improves electron microscope use efficiency. The structure comprises a base, a sample support table for supporting a sample is arranged on the base, the sample support table is connected with a displacement mechanism, and the displacement mechanism is driven to move in a pressure-adjustable environment through the displacement mechanism. The displacement mechanism comprises a mounting pipe one, a spring one, a moving plate and a driving air bag. The spring one, the moving plate and the driving air bag are located in the mounting pipe one. The moving plate is located between the spring one and the driving air bag, and the moving plate is connected with the sample support table through the mounting pipe one. When the pressure of the environment where the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value one, the driving air bag can expand and push the moving plate to move. The moving plate can press the spring one and drive the sample support table to move to a sample analysis position on the base.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of sample support device for field ion microscope, in particular to a sample stage for field ion microscope. BACKGROUND

[0002] Field ion microscope can be used to observe material atomic arrangement, which is often used in atom probe tomography (APT). When taking and placing material samples, in order to ensure that the electron microscope cavity is not polluted by external air, an ultra-vacuum transition cabin needs to be used, and the placing process is as follows: the sample is sent into the ultra-vacuum transition cabin through a sample storage device, the transition cabin is sealed, the ultra-vacuum transition cabin is inert gas purged, the air that may have penetrated is replaced, and then vacuum is performed, after reaching the same vacuum degree as the electron microscope cavity, the sample is sent into the cavity, which often takes 24 hours. In the process of material research and development, the elements in the material are various, and materials with different proportions or components have completely different material properties. In the research and development process, the prepared material samples often reach hundreds of kinds, so when using field ion microscope to perform atom probe tomography to analyze different material samples, a large amount of time is consumed in the sample transmission process.

[0003] At the same time, due to the sensitivity of the electron microscope to electromagnetic, the sample stage cannot be used for sample transposition by electric control. At present, one sample changing method is disclosed in patent No. JPWO2015083270A1, which sets up exhaust chamber, sample exchange chamber and atom probe analysis chamber which are separated from each other, and uses a shell holder capable of extending into the exhaust chamber and the sample exchange chamber to place the sample on the sample changing rod in the sample exchange chamber, and then uses the sample changing rod to send the sample into the atom probe analysis chamber for analysis. This method has a complex structure and is inconvenient to use. Another method uses a magnetic rod to change the sample, but when the magnetic rod is used to change the sample, the electron microscope cavity also needs to be opened, which has a pollution risk, and when the transition cabin is used, a large amount of time is consumed. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the problem that the sample stage for field ion microscope is inconvenient to use, the present application provides a field ion microscope sample stage, which can generate no electromagnetic effect in use, has no influence on the use of ion microscope, is convenient to use, and greatly improves the use efficiency of electron microscope.

[0005] The technical scheme is as follows: a field ion microscope sample stage, comprising a base, wherein a sample support table for supporting a sample is arranged on the base, the sample support table is connected with a displacement mechanism and is driven to move by the displacement mechanism, characterized in that: the displacement mechanism is located in a pressure-adjustable environment, the displacement mechanism comprises a mounting tube one, a spring one, a moving plate and a driving air bag, the spring one, the moving plate and the driving air bag are located in the mounting tube one, the moving plate is located between the spring one and the driving air bag, and the moving plate is connected with the sample support table through the mounting tube one, when the pressure of the environment where the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value one, the driving air bag can expand and push the moving plate to move, the moving plate can press the spring one and drive the sample support table to move to a sample analysis position on the base, and the spring one is used for pushing the moving plate and making the sample support table leave the sample analysis position on the base when the driving air bag is contracted.

[0006] Further, the displacement mechanism further comprises an exhaust mechanism, and an exhaust valve on the driving air bag can be triggered by the exhaust mechanism and make the driving air bag exhaust and contract.

[0007] Further, the exhaust mechanism comprises a mounting tube two, an exhaust air bag and an exhaust thimble, the exhaust air bag and the exhaust thimble are arranged in the mounting tube two, when the pressure of the environment where the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value two, the set value two is less than the set value one, the exhaust air bag can expand and push the exhaust thimble to move and trigger the exhaust valve.

[0008] Further, the exhaust mechanism further comprises a spring two, which is arranged between the exhaust air bag and the exhaust thimble.

[0009] Further, one end of the driving air bag is provided with the moving plate, the other end of the driving air bag is provided with the mounting tube two, the mounting tube two is fixed in position and can limit the expansion displacement of the other end of the driving air bag; one end of the exhaust air bag is provided with the exhaust thimble, and the other end of the exhaust air bag is provided with a limiting plate, the limiting plate is fixed in position and can limit the expansion displacement of the other end of the exhaust air bag.

[0010] Further, the base is provided with a plurality of sample support tables, each of the sample support tables is connected with the displacement mechanism, the air pressure in the driving air bag and the exhaust air bag of each displacement mechanism is sequentially reduced according to the sample analysis sequence corresponding to each displacement mechanism, and the air bag of each displacement mechanism is driven in turn as the pressure of the environment gradually decreases.

[0011] Beneficial Effects: When performing atomic probe tomography using a field ion microscope, the driving airbag can be inflated and the sample support stage can be moved to deliver the sample simply by controlling the pressure of the sample stage's environment. After sample analysis is completed, the driving airbag is deflated by the exhaust mechanism, and the sample is withdrawn from the analysis position under the action of spring 1. This makes the process convenient and produces no electromagnetic effects, thus having no impact on the operation of the ion microscope. In addition, when used for multi-sample analysis, the airbag pressure of each displacement mechanism can be set differently, and the corresponding sample stage can be manipulated by adjusting the ambient pressure to deliver and withdraw the sample, making sample replacement operations equally convenient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the displacement mechanism;

[0014] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure at point A in the middle.

[0015] In the figure, 1. base; 2. sample support platform; 3. mounting tube 1; 4. spring 1; 5. movable plate; 6. driving airbag; 7. guide groove; 8. exhaust mechanism; 9. mounting tube 2; 10. exhaust airbag; 11. exhaust ejector pin; 12. exhaust valve; 13. spring 2; 14. force adjustment cover; 15. limit spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 The sample stage of a field ion microscope shown in the figure includes a base 1, on which a sample support table 2 for supporting a sample is provided. The sample support table 2 is connected to a displacement mechanism and is driven to move by the displacement mechanism. The displacement mechanism is located in a pressure-adjustable environment. The displacement mechanism includes a mounting tube 3, a spring 4, a movable plate 5, and a driving airbag 6. The spring 4, the movable plate 5, and the driving airbag 6 are located in the mounting tube 3, and the movable plate 5 is located between the spring 4 and the driving airbag 6. The movable plate 5 passes through the mounting tube 3 and the guide groove 7 on the base 1 to be connected to the sample support table 2. When the pressure of the environment in which the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value 1, the driving airbag 6 can expand and push the movable plate 5 to move. The movable plate 5 can squeeze the spring 4 and drive the sample support table 2 to move to the sample analysis position on the base 1 (that is, the middle position of the base 1). The spring 4 is used to push the movable plate 5 and make the sample support table 2 leave the sample analysis position on the base 1 when the driving airbag 6 contracts. In addition, a limit spring 15 is provided to limit the movable plate 5 and limit the expansion size of the driving airbag 6.

[0017] Although the expansion and contraction of the driving air bag 6 can be controlled by controlling the magnitude of the ambient pressure for a single sample, as a preferred embodiment, the displacement mechanism further comprises an exhaust mechanism 8, when the pressure of the environment in which the displacement mechanism is located is further changed to a second set value, the exhaust valve on the driving air bag 6 can be triggered by the exhaust mechanism 8 and the driving air bag 6 is exhausted and contracted, so that the further expansion of the driving air bag 6 is prevented by the exhaust of the driving air bag 6 by the exhaust mechanism 8, so that the sample stage can be suitable for multi-sample analysis.

[0018] On the basis of the above, although the exhaust can be achieved by the driving air bag 6 contacting the exhaust mechanism 8 when the driving air bag 6 is expanded to a sufficient position, this process is difficult to achieve, so as a preferred embodiment, in combination with Figure 3 , the exhaust mechanism 8 comprises a second mounting tube 9, an exhaust air bag 10, and an exhaust needle 11, the exhaust air bag 10 and the exhaust needle 11 are installed in the second mounting tube 9, when the pressure of the environment in which the displacement mechanism is located is changed to a second set value, the exhaust air bag 10 can be expanded and push the exhaust needle 11 to move and trigger the exhaust valve 12. More specifically, the exhaust mechanism 8 further comprises a second spring 13, which is arranged between the exhaust air bag 10 and the exhaust needle 11, the reset of the exhaust needle 11 can be achieved by the second spring 13, and the second spring 13 can play a buffering role, only when the exhaust air bag 10 is expanded to a sufficient size and then exerts sufficient force on the second spring 13 to compress it, the exhaust needle 11 can trigger the exhaust valve 12.

[0019] In addition, in order to limit the reverse expansion of the air bag, one end of the driving air bag 6 is provided with a moving plate 5, the other end of the driving air bag 6 is provided with the second mounting tube 9, the second mounting tube 9 is fixed in position, the back end of which abuts against the force adjusting cover 14, which is fixed to the back end of the first mounting tube 3, so that the expansion displacement of the other end of the driving air bag 6 can be limited; one end of the exhaust air bag 10 is provided with the exhaust needle 11, the other end of the exhaust air bag 10 is provided with a limiting plate (the limiting plate can be the bottom plate of the second mounting tube 9), the limiting plate is fixed in position and can limit the expansion displacement of the other end of the exhaust air bag 10.

[0020] When an atom probe tomography for multiple samples is needed, a plurality of sample support tables 2 are provided on the base 1, each sample support table 2 is respectively connected with a displacement mechanism, the air pressure in the driving air bag 6 and the exhaust air bag 10 of each displacement mechanism is respectively reduced in sequence according to the analysis order of the corresponding sample, and the air bag in each sample support table 2 is driven one by one as the pressure of the environment in which it is located is gradually reduced.

[0021] In use, the whole sample stage is in a vacuum environment, the inflation of the gas bag is controlled by adjusting the environmental pressure of the sample stage, specifically, the environmental pressure is reduced to a set value P1, at this time the drive gas bag 6 of the displacement mechanism corresponding to the first sample for atom probe tomography is inflated and pushes the moving plate 5 and drives the sample support stage 2 to move to the sample analysis position, so that the sample can be analyzed by field ion microscope for atom probe tomography, after the sample analysis is completed, the environmental pressure is reduced to a set value P2, at this time the exhaust gas bag 10 of the displacement mechanism corresponding to the first sample for atom probe tomography is inflated to a sufficient size to push the exhaust needle 11 and trigger the exhaust valve 12 to make the drive gas bag 6 exhaust and shrink, under the action of the spring 4, the moving plate 5 retreats and in turn drives the sample support stage 2 to leave the sample analysis position; when the second sample for atom probe tomography needs to be analyzed, the environmental pressure is controlled to be further reduced to a set value P3, the drive gas bag 6 of the displacement mechanism corresponding to the second sample for atom probe tomography is inflated to a sufficient size so as to move the sample to the sample analysis position, when the analysis is completed, the environmental pressure is further reduced to a set value P4, so that the drive gas bag 6 is exhausted by the exhaust gas bag 10 and its exhaust needle 11, and in this way, multiple samples can be replaced for analysis, which is convenient to use.

[0022] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A field ion microscope sample stage comprising a base, a sample support stage for supporting a sample being provided on the base, the sample support stage being connected to a displacement mechanism and being driven to move by the displacement mechanism, characterized in that: The displacement mechanism is located in a pressure-adjustable environment, the displacement mechanism comprises a mounting tube one, a spring one, a moving plate, a driving air bag, the spring one, the moving plate and the driving air bag are located in the mounting tube one, the moving plate is located between the spring one and the driving air bag, and the moving plate is connected with the sample support table through the mounting tube one, when the pressure of the environment where the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value one, the driving air bag can expand and push the moving plate to move, the moving plate can press the spring one and drive the sample support table to move to a sample analysis position on the base, and the spring one is used for pushing the moving plate and making the sample support table leave the sample analysis position on the base when the driving air bag contracts, and a limiting spring is arranged to limit the moving plate and limit the expansion size of the driving air bag. The displacement mechanism further comprises an exhaust mechanism, and an exhaust valve on the driving air bag can be triggered by the exhaust mechanism to make the driving air bag exhaust and contract. The exhaust mechanism comprises a mounting tube two, an exhaust air bag and an exhaust ejector pin, the exhaust air bag and the exhaust ejector pin are mounted in the mounting tube two, when the pressure of the environment where the displacement mechanism is located changes to a set value two, the set value two is less than the set value one, the exhaust air bag can expand and push the exhaust ejector pin to move and trigger the exhaust valve. The exhaust mechanism further comprises a spring two, and the spring two is arranged between the exhaust air bag and the exhaust ejector pin. One end of the driving air bag is provided with the moving plate, the other end of the driving air bag is provided with the mounting tube two, the mounting tube two is fixed in position, the rear end of the mounting tube two abuts against a force adjusting cover, the force adjusting cover is fixed at the rear end of the mounting tube one, and the other end of the driving air bag can be limited to expand and displace; one end of the exhaust air bag is provided with the exhaust ejector pin, and the other end of the exhaust air bag is provided with a limiting plate, the limiting plate is fixed in position and can limit the other end of the exhaust air bag to expand and displace.

2. A field ion microscope specimen stage according to claim 1, characterised in that: The base is provided with a plurality of sample support tables, each sample support table is connected with the displacement mechanism, the air pressure in the driving air bag and the exhaust air bag of each displacement mechanism is sequentially reduced according to the corresponding sample analysis order, and the air bag in the sample support table is driven one by one as the pressure of the environment gradually decreases.

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