Method for safe control of gas delivery to an electron microscope sample holder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9915926-B2
Application number	US-201514816332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2015
Priority date	Aug 3, 2014
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

System and method for safely controlling the containment of gas within a manifold system and the delivery of gas to a sample holder for an electron microscope for imaging and analysis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an electron microscope sample holder having at least an inlet port, an outlet port, and a cell in fluid communication with the inlet port and outlet port; and
a gas delivery system comprising:
a gas source device in fluid communication with the inlet port;
a gas destination device in fluid communication with the outlet port;
a first pressure sensor in fluid communication with at least one of the cell, the inlet port, the outlet port, the gas source device, and the gas destination device;
a first valve, wherein the first pressure sensor and first valve are between the gas source device and the inlet port;
a second valve between the outlet port and the gas destination device;
a second pressure sensor between the outlet port and the gas destination device;
a sample holder pressure sensor in fluid communication with the cell; and
a controller that monitors the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the sample holder pressure sensor, and signals closure of the first valve upon a pressure change as measured by the first pressure sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas source device comprises a mass flow controller.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas source device comprises a tank.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas destination device comprises at least one of a tank and a pump.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first valve comprises a first normally closed valve that closes when not electrically-activated; and
the second valve comprises a second normally closed valve that closes when not electrically-activated.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first pressure sensor is between the gas source device and the first valve.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second pressure sensor is between the gas destination device and the second valve.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an intermediary valve between the first valve and the inlet port.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein upon a decrease in pressure of at least one of the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the sample holder pressure sensor, the controller signals closure of the first valve, second valve, and intermediary valve to prevent leakage from the system into an electron microscope, wherein a pressure in the electron microscope is less than a pressure of the gas source device, which is less than atmospheric pressure.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein upon a decrease in pressure of at least one of the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the sample holder pressure sensor, the controller signals closure of the first valve, second valve, and intermediary valve to prevent leakage from the system into an atmosphere environment, wherein a pressure in the electron microscope is less than a pressure of the gas source device, which is greater than atmospheric pressure.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a communication and switching bus by which the controller commands the first valve and second valve to be opened or closed.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first valve closes when not electrically-activated by the controller; and
the second valve closes when not electrically-activated by the controller.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an emergency stop device, wherein:
the first valve closes when not activated by electrical power;
the second valve closes when not activated by electrical power; and
electrical power is removed from the first valve and second valve when the emergency stop device is activated.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein upon an increase in pressure of at least one of the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the sample holder pressure sensor, the controller signals closure of the first valve and second valve to prevent leakage from an atmosphere into the system, wherein a pressure in the electron microscope is less than a pressure of the gas source device, which is less than atmospheric pressure.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein upon a decrease in pressure of at least one of the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the sample holder pressure sensor, the controller signals closure of the first valve and second valve to prevent leakage from the system into an electron microscope, wherein a pressure in the electron microscope is less than a pressure of the gas source device, which is greater than atmospheric pressure.

Assignees

• Protochips Inc

Inventors

• Gardiner Daniel S
• Damiano Jr John
• Nackashi David P
• Carpenter William Bradford
• Rivenbark James
• Uebel Mark
• Zapata Iii Michael
• Thomas Rebecca
• Walden Ii Franklin Stampley

Classifications

• H01J2237/006

  Details of gas supplies, e.g. in an ion source, to a beam line, to a specimen or to a workpiece, (H01J37/3244 takes precedence; environmental cells for electron microscopes H01J2237/2003; microscopes with environmental specimen chamber H01J2237/2608) · CPC title

• H01J37/18

  Vacuum locks {; Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the vessel} · CPC title

• G05D7/0635

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01M3/3272

  for verifying the internal pressure of closed containers · CPC title

• H01J2237/2007

  Holding mechanisms · CPC title