Cooled CCD camera for an electron microscope
AssigneeGatan, Inc.
InventorOndrej L. Krivanek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus comprising a cooled slow-scan charge-coupled device camera mounted in a chamber attached to a projection or specimen chamber of an electron microscope, and a vacuum valve separating the camera chamber from the microscope chamber. The operation of the vacuum valve is linked to the microscope vacuum system such that the valve remains open while the microscope chamber is under vacuum, but closes if the microscope chamber is about to be let up to atmospheric pressure, and stays closed until the microscope chamber is evacuated again. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the camera is inserted by a pneumatically operated piston to the microscope chamber, and is withdrawn and sealed off in a separate vacuum chamber in the microscope chamber is about to be let up to air.
Claims12
An apparatus for recording images and diffraction patterns produced by an electron microscope, said apparatus comprising:
- i) a cooled charge-coupled imaging device contained in a vacuum enclosure,
- ii) an isolation valve connecting said vacuum enclosure with a chamber of said electron microscope, and
- iii) automatic actuating means for said isolation valve whereby whenever air is admitted into the electron microscope chamber, said automatic means close said isolation valve, thereby preventing water condensation or ice formation on said cooled charge-coupled imaging device.
An apparatus for recording images or diffraction patterns produced by an electron microscope, said apparatus comprising
- i) a cooled charge-coupled imaging device mounted on a movable platform,
- ii) a vacuum enclosure attached to a chamber of said electron microscope,
- iii) automatic transport means, and
- iv) sealing means whereby whenever air is admitted to the electron microscope chamber, said automatic transport means move said movable platform into said enclosure where said sealing means isolate said vacuum enclosure from the electron microscope chamber, thereby preventing water condensation or the formation of ice on said cooled charge-coupled imaging device when air is admitted into the electron microscope chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.