Cryogenic UHV Sample Transfer Suitcase With Hexapod Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vacuum devices cannot transport samples under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions while maintaining cryogenic temperatures, which is crucial for sensitive samples in modern science, as they deteriorate quickly when exposed to high vacuum or warmed up.
Innovation Solution
A transportable cryogenic UHV suitcase equipped with a non-evaporable getter ion combination pump, a wobblestick transfer rod with precise alignment, and a cooling system using liquid nitrogen, along with a hexapod port aligner for precise sample transfer to an electron microscope, ensuring UHV conditions and cryogenic temperatures are maintained during transport and transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If samples are transported under high vacuum conditions using existing suitcases, then transport capability is achieved, but ultra-high vacuum conditions (pressure below 10^-9 mbar) cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a non-evaporable getter pump and an ion pump into a single integrated vacuum system within the suitcase. This merging of two different pumping mechanisms allows the system to achieve and maintain ultra-high vacuum conditions (below 10^-9 mbar) that neither pump could achieve alone, while keeping the suitcase design compact and manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum system uses composite pumping technology by integrating two fundamentally different pumping mechanisms (getter pumping and ion pumping) into a unified system. This composite approach leverages the strengths of each method to achieve ultra-high vacuum performance
2Reliability
If samples are kept at cryogenic temperatures during transport, then sample stability is maintained, but heat transfer to the sample must be completely prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal isolation system is divided into multiple segments: an outer vacuum chamber providing primary thermal isolation, an inner cryogenic chamber housing the sample, and intermediate radiation shields. This segmentation creates multiple thermal barriers that progressively reduce heat transfer to the sample, maintaining cryogenic temperatures effectively
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate radiation shields and vacuum barriers as intermediary elements between the external environment and the cryogenic sample. These intermediaries block and reflect thermal radiation, preventing direct heat transfer to the sample while allowing the system to remain compact
3Reliability
If precise alignment is achieved between suitcase and electron microscope, then sample transfer safety is improved, but alignment complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suitcase is equipped with pre-integrated alignment markers and a hexapod port aligner system that is prepared in advance. These preliminary alignment features allow for rapid and precise alignment with the electron microscope when transfer is needed, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual alignment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical alignment procedures with an automated hexapod port aligner system that uses motorized adjustment and optical feedback. This substitution dramatically reduces alignment time while maintaining high precision, allowing safe sample transfer without significant time loss
4Reliability
If components are optimized for cryogenic temperatures and UHV conditions, then sample protection is maximized, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin-walled vacuum chambers and flexible thermal insulation materials that provide effective protection against contamination and thermal transfer while minimizing added weight. These thin-film and shell structures maintain UHV and cryogenic conditions without the heavy shielding that would otherwise be required
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the safe and precise transfer of sensitive samples under UHV conditions and at cryogenic temperatures, preventing sample deterioration and contamination, facilitating advanced scientific analysis such as in surface physics and electron microscopy.
Implementation Method 1
a non-evaporable getter ion combination pump
Implementation Method 2
a non-evaporable getter ion combination pump
Implementation Method 3
a cooling system using liquid nitrogen
Implementation Method 4
a cooling system using liquid nitrogen
Implementation Method 5
a wobblestick transfer rod with precise alignment
Implementation Method 6
a hexapod port aligner for precise sample transfer
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a transportable device, for the transport and transfer of a sample under ultra-high vacuum conditions and at low temperature, comprising a vacuum chamber, a cooling system, a transfer rod by means of which the sample positon can be adjusted, a valve by means of which the chamber can be opened or closed and attached to another vacuum apparatus, a pump designed to maintain in the chamber a pressure below 10-9 mbar all the time a sample is inside the chamber and/or all the time the sample is being transferred, a cooling shield defining a volume inside the chamber in which the sample is kept during transport, wherein the cooling shield (106) is thermally contacted to the cooling system, a sample holder removably attached to the transfer rod and configured to carry the sample during transport, a cooling block thermally contacted to the cooling shield, wherein the cooling block and the sample holder are configured such that they can be brought in thermal contact inside the volume defined by the cooling shield, wherein the cooling system is configured to be able cool the cooling shield to a temperature below 80 K, and wherein the thermal contacts between the cooling shield and the cooling block and/or between the cooling block and the sample holder are configured such that the sample is kept at a temperature higher than the cooling shield all the time the temperature of the cooling shield is lower than the temperature of the chamber. The present invention relates also to the use of a hexapod port aligner for the transfer of a sample from a vacuum transport device to an electron microscope, especially a transmission electron microscope.