Specimen-cooling device

Abstract

There is disclosed a sample-cooling device for efficiently cooling a sample observed with a scanning probe microscope down to a cryogenic temperature. Cryogenic temperature provided by liquid nitrogen is transferred to a stage base plate from a liquid nitrogen vessel via a heat shield on the side of the cryogenic source, a first flexible conductor, and a heat shield on the sample side. The whole stage base plate is cooled to the liquid nitrogen temperature. Cryogenic temperature provided by liquid helium is transferred from a liquid helium vessel to a heat conductor on the sample side via a heat conductor on the side of the cryogenic source, a heat shield on the side of the cryogenic source, a second flexible heat conductor, and a heat shield on the sample side. The heat conductor on the sample side is cooled to the liquid helium temperature. The cryogenic temperature is then transferred to the sample via a probe electrode in contact with the heat conductor on the sample side. As a result, the sample is cooled by the cryogenic temperature provided by the liquid helium.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.