Sample holder for an atomic force microscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9746493-B2
Application number	US-201414902608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2014
Priority date	Jul 5, 2013
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to sample holders for holding a sample, particularly for an atomic force microscope. Such a sample holder comprising a sample dish ( 1 ) comprising a bottom ( 2 ), and an opening ( 3 ) arranged in said bottom ( 2 ) for receiving and holding the sample ( 15 ). Furthermore the present invention relates to a sample holder system and to a method for transferring an e.g. biological sample ( 15 ) from a biopsy tool ( 18 ) to a sample holder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sample holder for holding a sample ( 15 ) for an atomic force microscope
characterized by
a sample dish ( 1 ) comprising a bottom ( 2 ), and

an opening ( 3 ) arranged in said bottom ( 2 ) for receiving and holding the sample ( 15 ), wherein said opening ( 3 ) is encompassed by a circumferential first wall ( 4 ) of said bottom ( 2 ) that is designed to clamp said sample ( 15 ) when the sample ( 15 ) is received by said opening ( 3 ).

2. The sample holder according to claim 1 , characterized in that said circumferential first wall is at least in sections formed out of a hydrophilic polymer, which expands in contact with water and/or a buffer solution, so that the inner diameter of said opening ( 3 ) decreases for clamping the sample (S) when brought into contact with said water and/or buffer solution.

3. The sample holder according to claim 1 , characterized in that the bottom ( 2 ) comprises a recess ( 8 ) delimited by a circumferential second wall ( 5 ) of the bottom ( 2 ) and said circumferential first wall ( 4 ), wherein said circumferential second wall ( 5 ) encompasses said circumferential first wall ( 4 ).

4. The sample holder according to claim 3 , characterized in that said recess ( 8 ) is designed to receive a connection portion ( 22 ) of a sample stage ( 19 ) of an atomic force microscope, for fastening the sample holder to the sample stage ( 19 ).

5. The sample holder according to claim 3 , characterized in that said recess ( 8 ) is designed to receive a connection portion ( 17 b ) of a biopsy tool ( 18 ) for collecting the sample ( 15 ) and transferring said sample ( 15 ) to the sample holder.

6. The sample holder according to claim 3 , characterized in that said circumferential second wall ( 5 ) comprises an inner side ( 5 i ), wherein said inner side ( 5 i ) comprises a thread ( 6 ) for receiving a connection portion ( 22 ) of a sample stage ( 19 ) and/or a connection portion ( 17 b ) of a biopsy tool ( 18 ).

7. The sample holder according to claim 3 , characterized in that the first wall ( 4 ) and second wall ( 5 ) each comprise a circumferential end portion ( 4 a , 5 a ), and wherein the recess ( 8 ) is further delimited by a region ( 8 a ) of the bottom ( 2 ) which connects said end portions ( 4 a , 5 a ).

8. The sample holder according to claim 3 , characterized in that the sample holder comprises a first part (P 1 ) and a separate second part (P 2 ), wherein the first part (P 1 ) is designed to be releasably connected to the second part (P 2 ), wherein the first part (P 1 ) comprises the first wall ( 4 ) surrounding the opening ( 3 ) and the second part (P 2 ) comprises the second wall ( 5 ) and a circumferential region ( 2 a ) of the bottom ( 2 ) being connected to an outer side ( 5 o ) of the second wall ( 5 ), wherein the second wall ( 5 ) comprises an end portion ( 5 c ) for connecting with the first part (P 1 ).

9. The sample holder according to claim 8 , characterized in that the first part (P 1 ) comprises a circumferential portion ( 12 ) protruding from an end portion ( 4 c ) of the first wall ( 4 ), wherein said circumferential portion ( 12 ) is designed to be releasably connected to said end portion ( 5 c ) of the second wall ( 5 ) of the second part (P 2 ), by means of a latching connection such that said circumferential portion ( 12 ) encompasses said end portion ( 5 c ) of the second wall ( 5 ).

10. The sample holder according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sample dish ( 1 ) comprises a circumferential wall ( 7 ) protruding from a boundary of the bottom ( 2 ) of the sample dish ( 1 ).

11. The sample holder according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first wall ( 4 ) surrounding the opening ( 3 ) comprises an inner side ( 4 i ), wherein said inner side ( 4 i ) comprises a circumferential tooth ( 14 ), wherein said tooth ( 14 ) is inclined such that it encloses an acute angle (W 7 ) with said inner side ( 4 i ), such that said tooth ( 14 ) presses against the sample ( 15 ) when the sample ( 15 ) is arranged in the opening ( 3 ) so as to clamp the sample ( 15 ) in the opening ( 3 ).

12. The sample holder according to claim 1 , characterized in that a first perfusion tube ( 9 ) and a second perfusion tube ( 10 ) are arranged in the bottom ( 2 ) of the sample dish, wherein said first perfusion tube ( 9 ) is designed for supplying the sample with a liquid medium (M), and wherein the second perfusion tube ( 10 ) is designed for drawing off liquid medium (M) and/or particles from the sample dish ( 1 ).

13. A sample holder system comprising a sample holder according to claim 1 , wherein the sample holder system further comprises:
a biopsy tool ( 18 ) for collecting a sample ( 15 ), which biopsy tool ( 18 ) comprises a cannula ( 17 ), wherein said cannula ( 17 ) comprises a first end region ( 17 a ) for sampling a sample and an opposing second end region ( 17 b ), wherein said second end region ( 17 b ) forms a connection portion ( 17 b ) for connecting the biopsy tool ( 18 ) to the sample holder, wherein said connection portion ( 17 b ) is designed to be inserted into a recess ( 8 ) of the sample holder in order to connect the biopsy tool ( 18 ) to the sample holder,
an elongated element ( 16 ) being designed to be inserted into said cannula ( 17 ) so as to push a sample ( 15 ) from said first end region ( 17 a ) of the cannula ( 17 ) to the second end region ( 17 b ) of said cannula ( 17 ), and for moving the sample ( 15 ) from the second end region ( 17 b ) to the opening ( 3 ) of the sample holder when the biopsy tool ( 18 ) is connected to the sample holder, and
a sample stage ( 19 ) for an atomic force microscope, wherein said sample stage ( 19 ) comprises a connection portion ( 22 ) that is designed to be connected to the sample holder, wherein said connection portion ( 22 ) is designed to be inserted into said recess ( 8 ) of the sample holder in order to connect the sample holder to the sample stage ( 19 ).

14. A method for transferring a sample from a biopsy tool to a sample holder, according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
providing a sample ( 15 ) in a first end region ( 17 a ) of a cannula ( 17 ) of a biopsy tool ( 18 ), wherein said cannula ( 17 ) comprises a second end region ( 17 b ) opposing the first end region ( 17 a ), which said second end region ( 17 b ) forms a connection portion,
attaching the biopsy tool ( 18 ) to a sample holder by inserting the connection portion ( 17 b ) of the biopsy tool ( 18 ) into a recess ( 8 ) of the sample holder,
moving the sample ( 15 ) from the first end region ( 17 a ) of the cannula ( 17 ) towards the second end region ( 17 b ) of the cannula ( 17 ), by inserting an elongated element ( 16 ) into the cannula ( 17 ) and pushing the sample from the first end region ( 17 a ) towards the second end region ( 17 b ),
pushing the sample ( 15 ) out of the second end region ( 17 b ) of the cannula into an opening ( 3 ) of the sample holder, which said opening ( 3 ) is aligned with the cannula ( 17 ), wherein the sample is clamped in said opening ( 3 ),
releasing the biopsy tool ( 18 ) from the sample holder, and
fastening the sample holder to a sample stage ( 19 ) of an atomic force microscope, by inserting a connection portion ( 22 ) of the sample stage ( 19 ) into the recess ( 8 ) of the sample holder.

Assignees

• Univ Basel
• Univ Of Basel

Inventors

• Loparic Marko
• Oehler Pascal Alexander

Classifications

• G01Q60/24

  AFM [Atomic Force Microscopy] or apparatus therefor, e.g. AFM probes · CPC title

• G01Q30/20 Primary

  Sample handling devices or methods · CPC title

• A61B10/0233

  Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments · CPC title