Sample holder and electron microscope

Inventors: Yuji Asakura (Tokyo, JP); Michio Hatano (Tokyo, JP); Mitsuhiro Nakamura (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation

H01J37/20 H01J37/28

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12676281
App. No.: 18/281,871
Granted: Jul 7, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

The performance of a sample holder that is fillable with a liquid sample is improved. A sample holder 200 includes: an upper tip 300 that is disposed on an irradiation side of an electron beam; and a lower tip 400 that is disposed to face the upper tip 300 . At this time, the sample holder 200 includes: a diaphragm 350 that is provided in the upper tip 300 ; a diaphragm 450 that is provided in the lower tip 400 ; a space 600 that is interposed between the diaphragm 350 and the diaphragm 450 and is fillable with a liquid; and a guide portion 340 that guides a liquid having an amount exceeding an amount of liquid with which the space 600 is fillable so as to be dropped from a side opposite to the irradiation side of the electron beam.

Claims (34)

1 . A sample holder comprising:

a first member that is disposed on an irradiation side of an electron beam; and

a second member that is disposed to face the first member,

wherein the sample holder includes

a first diaphragm that is provided in the first member,

a second diaphragm that is provided in the second member,

a space that is interposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm and is fillable with a liquid, and

a guide portion that guides a liquid having an amount exceeding an amount of liquid with which the space is fillable so as to be dropped from a side opposite to the irradiation side of the electron beam,

wherein the guide portion begins at a central portion of the sample holder and ends at one outer edge of the sample holder.

2 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein the guide portion is a groove that is provided in the first member or the second member.

3 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein the guide portion is formed of a coating of a hydrophilic material that is provided in the first member or the second member.

4 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein a planar shape of the first member is a rectangular shape having a first short side and a first long side,

a planar shape of the second member is a rectangular shape having a second short side and a second long side,

the first member and the second member are disposed such that the first long side and the second short side are parallel to each other and the second long side and the first short side are parallel to each other in a plan view,

the first member includes

an overlapping portion that planarly overlaps the second member, and

a non-overlapping portion that does not planarly overlap the second member, and

the guide portion is configured to guide the liquid from the space to the non-overlapping portion through the overlapping portion in a plan view.

5 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sample holder includes

a first facing portion where the first member and the second member face each other at a first interval, and

a second facing portion where the first member and the second member face each other at a second interval more than the first interval.

6 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first member includes a conductor film that is provided on a surface on the irradiation side of the electron beam.

7 . The sample holder according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sample holder is a sample holder for an electron microscope.

8 . An electron microscope to which the sample holder according to claim 1 is attachable, the electron microscope comprising a sealing portion that seals a region where a liquid is dropped from a side of the sample holder opposite to the irradiation side of the electron beam by the guide portion of the sample holder.

9 . The electron microscope according to claim 8 ,

wherein the sealing portion seals the region at an atmospheric pressure.

10 . An electron microscope to which a sample holder is attachable, the sample holder including a first member that is disposed on an irradiation side of an electron beam, a second member that is disposed to face the first member, a first diaphragm that is provided in the first member, a second diaphragm that is provided in the second member, a space that is interposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm and is fillable with a liquid, and a guide portion that guides a liquid having an amount exceeding an amount of liquid with which the space is fillable so as to be dropped from a side opposite to the irradiation side of the electron beam, wherein the first member includes a conductor film that is provided on a surface on the irradiation side of the electron beam, the electron microscope comprising a detection electrode that is electrically connected to the conductor film through a bias voltage source and is disposed below the second diaphragm of the second member,

wherein during irradiation with the electron beam in a state where the sample holder is attached to the electron microscope, the electron microscope is configured to obtain an image based on a size of a detection current flowing through the detection electrode that is disposed at a position planarly overlapping with the space.