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Abstract

An improved electron microscope anticontaminator having a conduction rod enclosed within an independent vacuum system and micropositioning capability is described. The micropositioning facility allows the use of unusually small apertures in the cold anticontaminator block with a consequent improvement in efficiency of function. A self-contained contact sensor provides immediate audible warning of contact between a specimen holder and the cold anticontaminator block, permitting the removal of the usual mechanical end-stops for the specimen tilt mechanism and allowing the maximum specimen movement possible at any time. The independent vacuum system in combination with a heater positioned close to the anitcontaminator block allows the microscopist to vent the microscope column without removing the anticontaminator from the microscope. Special anticontaminator blocks incorporating multiple apertures or an X-ray collimator eliminate the need for separate microscope objective aperture or X-ray collimator mechanisms and also ease design constraints imposed by the very limited space around specimens in high resolution microscopes.

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First Claim