Development of a Specimen Stage for Transmission Electron Microscopy

A Transmission Electron Microscopy is to observe and to analyze morphology and crystalline structure of a membrane specimen. The specimen is placed onto a sample holder which is manipulated by a motorized stage. In this study, a specimen stage for Transmission Electron Microscopy is designed. The stage consists of a sample holder and four motorized axes for three linear motions and one tilt motion. Especially, the specimen put in a vacuum environment must be separated from the atmosphere. The specimen stage is developed based on the conventional one. The motion systems for the linear motion are put on the tilt platform. The motor system consists of a motor, a reducer, an encoder, a lead screw and a linear guide. The reducing ratio of the reducer is chosen to satisfy the requirement of resolution. Among the linear motions, the Y and Z-motion transferred to the holder tip through a spherical joint. Therefore, the Y and Z-motion is reduced with a lever ratio by the spherical joint. The sample holder with the specimen is transferred through a guide column to put the specimen at the center of the vacuum chamber. The sample holder and the linear guide column are designed for an air-lock. Finally, experiments are carried out to show the performance of the developed stage.