Resilient Sample Carrier for TEM Vacuum Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing co-operative composite structure of sample carriers and sample holders is complex, fragile, and not suitable for automatic exchange in vacuum conditions, due to its reliance on fragile screw connections and limited lubrication, which complicates the handling and mounting of thin TEM grids.
Innovation Solution
The sample carrier is designed with a resilient portion that clamps onto the sample holder without discrete movable components, allowing for robust attachment and detachment with minimal force, enabling operation in vacuum conditions and reducing wear and jamming, while ensuring reproducible fixation of degrees of freedom for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screw connections are used to attach the sample carrier to the sample holder, then the attachment is secure, but the structure becomes complex and fragile
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the screw connection component entirely from the attachment mechanism. The sample carrier is designed with a resilient body that can be elastically deformed to enable attachment to and detachment from the sample holder without any discrete fastening components, thereby simplifying the structure while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient body of the sample carrier serves its own attachment and detachment function through elastic deformation. The sample carrier automatically secures itself to the sample holder when inserted and releases itself when the resilient body is deformed, eliminating the need for separate screw fastening mechanisms.
2Reliability
If screw connections and lubrication are used for sample carrier attachment, then the attachment is reliable, but the system becomes unsuitable for automatic exchange in vacuum conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates lubrication from the attachment system. The resilient body relies on elastic deformation and frictionless contact with the sample holder, making the entire attachment mechanism compatible with vacuum conditions and suitable for automatic exchange operations without contamination or performance degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the screw-based mechanical fastening system with an elastic deformation-based attachment mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for lubrication and complex mechanical threads, enabling operation in vacuum environments where traditional mechanical systems with moving parts and lubricants would fail.
3Ease of operation
If discrete movable components are used in the sample carrier, then the attachment mechanism is functional, but the system is prone to wear and jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the attachment and detachment functions into the resilient body itself through elastic deformation. The sample carrier's resilient body directly engages with the sample holder without any intermediate discrete movable components, eliminating wear surfaces and potential jamming points while maintaining full attachment functionality.
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
This design results in a simpler, more robust, and cost-effective sample carrier system that facilitates easy attachment and detachment in vacuum, reducing the risk of damage and improving the interchangeability of samples across different analytical instruments.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient portion (21), which in use clamps onto the sample holder (30)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a composite structure of a sample carrier 20 and a sample holder 30 for use in a TEM, for example. The sample carrier is hereby separately embodied from the sample holder. Although such compositions are already known, the known compositions are very fragile constructions. The sample carrier according to the invention can be formed from a strip of metal, and is a simple and cheap element. Using resilient force, it clamps onto or into the sample holder. The portion of the sample holder to which the sample carrier couples also has a simple form. The sample carrier can couple to the sample holder in vacuum using a coupling tool.