Patent · US Expired

High temperature specimen stage and detector for an environmental scanning electron microscope

US6025592A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
10References
82Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 7, 1996
Grant dateFeb 15, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 7, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/2605
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An environmental scanning electron microscope is provided which is capable of maintaining a specimen at a temperature up to approximately 1500.degree. C. In this environmental scanning electron microscope, a specimen chamber maintains the specimen enveloped in gas in registration with a final pressure limiting aperture of the objective lens assembly. The specimen chamber includes a specimen stage having a sample platform for supporting the specimen under examination at a first vertical height and a specimen heating assembly which includes a non-inductively wound heater coil which is positioned closely adjacent to the sample platform and extends to a second vertical height which is significantly above the first vertical height so that the top of the specimen is maintained at a high temperature. In this environmental scanning electron microscope, a heat shield assembly is positioned above the specimen heating assembly in the specimen chamber to avoid radiant heat loss and which has an adjustable bias voltage applied thereto to accelerate secondary electrons through its central opening to be collected by an electron detector. Moreover, in order to enhance image quality, the final pres…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.