US 2004/0165972 A1Published application

Apparatus and method for insertion of a sample into a vacuum chamber

OwnerVladimir Knyazikinventor

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Abstract

An apparatus of the invention comprises a tube with a vacuum chamber located in its middle portion and a rod inserted in the tube so that the gap between the rod and inner surface of the tube is narrow, e.g. within the range from 5 to 10 microns. Compressed air is injected to the gap between the inner surface of the tube and the rod via orifices at the ends of the tube to form air bearings, which allow moving the rod along its axis. A sample is placed in a recess in the rod, so that it can be inserted from the ambient atmosphere into the vacuum chamber by moving the rod along its axis. Since the gap between the rod and inner surface of the tube is narrow, the air leakage to vacuum chamber is insignificant. This leakage can be further decreased by evacuating an excess air from the gap in one or more areas between the vacuum chamber and orifices.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An apparatus for insertion of a sample into a vacuum chamber comprising:

a housing located in a surrounding atmosphere and having one side, a side opposite to said one side, and a through opening passing from said one side to said side opposite to said one side;
said vacuum chamber sealingly connected to said through opening at a connection point between said one side and said side opposite to said one side;
a moveable member having a first end projecting from said housing through said one side and a second end projecting from said housing through said side opposite to said one side, said moveable member being slidingly inserted into said through opening for performing a reciprocating sliding motion;
static gas bearings formed between said through opening and said moveable member on both sides of said through opening from said connection point, said static gas bearings having a predetermined gap between said opening and said moveable member, and means for supplying compressed gas into said predetermined gap;
at least one sample accommodation recess formed on said moveable member in a location that can alternatingly either protrude from said housing or reach said vacuum chamber during said reciprocating sliding motion.

2 more elements

A method of inserting a sample into a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus for insertion of a sample into a vacuum chamber comprising a housing located in a surrounding atmosphere, said housing having said vacuum chamber, a through opening in said housing intersecting said vacuum chamber, and a moveable member slidingly installed in said through opening in static gas bearings located on portions of said through opening beyond said vacuum chamber, said moveable member having at least one sample accommodation recess, said static gas bearings having a predetermined gap between said through opening and said moveable member, and means for supplying compressed gas into said predetermined gap;
moving said moveable member into a protruding position, in which said at least one sample accommodation recess protrudes from said housing;
placing said sample into said at least one sample accommodation recess in said protruding position;
providing said gap with a function of a seal between said static gas bearings and said vacuum chamber;
moving said moveable member along said through opening until said sample reaches said vacuum chamber;
processing said sample in said vacuum chamber;
moving said moveable member along said through opening into said protruding position;
and
unloading said sample from said sample accommodation recess in said protruding position.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.