Abstract: A chamber suitable for use with a scanning electron microscope. The chamber comprises at least one aperture sealed with a membrane. The membrane is adapted to withstand a vacuum, and is transparent to electrons and the interior of the chamber is isolated from said vacuum. The chamber is useful for allowing wet samples including living cells to be viewed under an electron microscope.

Abstract: A chamber suitable for use with a scanning electron microscope. The chamber comprises at least one aperture sealed with a membrane. The membrane is adapted to withstand a vacuum, and is transparent to electrons and the interior of the chamber is isolated from said vacuum. The chamber is useful for allowing wet samples including living cells to be viewed under an electron microscope.

Abstract: An ion detector having a planar electrically conducting entrance plate, a converter assembly including a planar electrically conducting converter plate and a converter member for providing free electrons upon impact of ions, a planar electrically conducting exit plate having an exit window, a magnet assembly, and an electron detection assembly. The planes of the converter plate and the entrance plate are parallel and electrically biasable in order to provide a homogeneous electric field. The magnet assembly provides a homogenous magnetic field between the converter plate and the exit plate, the magnetic field extending parallel to the plane of the converter plate. The ratio between the electric and the magnetic field is such that the electrons emitted from the converter plate travel to the exit window and are detected by the electron detection assembly.

Abstract: A chamber suitable for use with a scanning electron microscope. The chamber comprises at least one aperture sealed with a membrane. The membrane is adapted to withstand a vacuum, and is transparent to electrons and the interior of the chamber is isolated from said vacuum. The chamber is useful for allowing wet samples including living cells to be viewed under an electron microscope.

Abstract: A chamber suitable for use with a scanning electron microscope. The chamber comprises at least one aperture sealed with a membrane. The membrane is adapted to withstand a vacuum, and is transparent to electrons and the interior of the chamber is isolated from said vacuum. The chamber is useful for allowing wet samples including living cells to be viewed under an electron microscope.

Abstract: A device that produces an electron beam with high optical quality for processing a sample, is presented. The optical quality is manifested by very high brightness and low energy spread. The device includes an electron source device comprising an electrode in the form of a shaped first layer, preferably in the form of a conducting crater carrying at least one nanotube, and an extracting electrode, which is formed with at least one aperture and is insulated from the firs layer. The source can be used in any column that requires such properties. The column according to the invention may be a full size or a miniature electron microscope, a lithography tool, a tool used for direct writing of wafers or a field emission display.

Abstract: A particle detector for an electron microscope, a mass spectrometer or the like comprises a single flat plate electron multiplier such as a micro-channel plate or a micro-sphere plate followed by a scintillator. The use of the electron multiplier prior to the scintillator compensates for lack of efficiency in passing photons from the scintillator. The output voltage of the scintillator can be freely set.