Abstract: A positioning system for an electron microscope includes a first carriage comprising a holder for holding a workpiece and a second carriage. The first carriage being coupled to one or more first drive units configured to position the workpiece along first, second, and third axes, and along a first tilt axis. The second carriage housing the one or more first drive units and being coupled to one or more second drive units configured to position the workpiece along a second tilt axis.

Abstract: A positioning system for an electron microscope includes a first carriage comprising a holder for holding a workpiece and a second carriage. The first carriage being coupled to one or more first drive units configured to position the workpiece along first, second, and third axes, and along a first tilt axis. The second carriage housing the one or more first drive units and being coupled to one or more second drive units configured to position the workpiece along a second tilt axis.

Abstract: A method of using a Charged Particle Microscope comprising: A specimen holder, connected to a positioning stage, for holding a specimen; A source, for producing a beam of charged particles; An illuminator, for directing said beam so as to irradiate the specimen; A detector, for detecting a flux of radiation emanating from the specimen in response to said irradiation, comprising the following steps: Providing the microscope with an interferential optical position sensor for determining a position of said specimen holder relative to a reference; Providing an automatic controller with a time-dependent position signal from said optical position sensor; Invoking said controller to use said signal to produce a vibration profile for the microscope.

Abstract: A method of using a Charged Particle Microscope comprising: A specimen holder, connected to a positioning stage, for holding a specimen; A source, for producing a beam of charged particles; An illuminator, for directing said beam so as to irradiate the specimen; A detector, for detecting a flux of radiation emanating from the specimen in response to said irradiation, comprising the following steps: Providing the microscope with an interferential optical position sensor for determining a position of said specimen holder relative to a reference; Providing an automatic controller with a time-dependent position signal from said optical position sensor; Invoking said controller to use said signal to produce a vibration profile for the microscope.

Abstract: A method of mitigating the effects of environmental pressure variation while using a charged particle microscope is described. The charged particle microscope equipped with a barometric pressure sensor and an automatic controller configured to use the signal from the barometric sensor as an input to a control procedure to compensate for a relative positional error between the charged particle beam and the specimen holder.

Abstract: The invention relates to an enclosure with a substantial rectangular configuration, adapted to contain an apparatus sensitive to acoustic vibrations, the enclosure comprising walls and acoustic damping material located within the wall, wherein the acoustic damping material comprises at least one absorbing body of acoustic energy absorbing material located adjacent to a rib of the enclosure. The acoustic vibrations most disturbing the processes in the apparatus within the enclosure are caused by standing acoustic waves within the enclosure with frequencies in the range between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. These acoustic waves are efficiently damped by the provision of a block of acoustic absorbing material adjacent to one of the ribs of the enclosure, to such an extent that the need for thick walls of the enclosure is substantially obviated, leading to a less voluminous enclosure.

Abstract: A method of mitigating the effects of environmental pressure variation while using a charged particle microscope is described. The charged particle microscope equipped with a barometric pressure sensor and an automatic controller configured to use the signal from the barometric sensor as an input to a control procedure to compensate for a relative positional error between the charged particle beam and the specimen holder.

Abstract: The invention relates to an enclosure with a substantial rectangular configuration, adapted to contain an apparatus sensitive to acoustic vibrations, the enclosure comprising walls and acoustic damping material located within the wall, wherein the acoustic damping material comprises at least one absorbing body of acoustic energy absorbing material located adjacent to a rib of the enclosure. The acoustic vibrations most disturbing the processes in the apparatus within the enclosure are caused by standing acoustic waves within the enclosure with frequencies in the range between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. These acoustic waves are efficiently damped by the provision of a block of acoustic absorbing material adjacent to one of the ribs of the enclosure, to such an extent that the need for thick walls of the enclosure is substantially obviated, leading to a less voluminous enclosure.

Abstract: An enclosure with a substantial rectangular configuration, adapted to contain an apparatus sensitive to acoustic vibrations, the enclosure comprising walls and acoustic damping material located within the wall, wherein the acoustic damping material comprises at least one absorbing body of acoustic energy absorbing material located adjacent to a rib of the enclosure. The acoustic vibrations most disturbing the processes in the apparatus within the enclosure are caused by standing acoustic waves within the enclosure with frequencies in the range between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. These acoustic waves are efficiently damped by the provision of a block of acoustic absorbing material adjacent to one of the ribs of the enclosure, to such an extent that the need for thick walls of the enclosure is substantially obviated, leading to a less voluminous enclosure.

Abstract: The invention relates to an enclosure with a substantial rectangular configuration, adapted to contain an apparatus sensitive to acoustic vibrations, the enclosure comprising walls and acoustic damping material located within the wall, wherein the acoustic damping material comprises at least one absorbing body of acoustic energy absorbing material located adjacent to a rib of the enclosure. The acoustic vibrations most disturbing the processes in the apparatus within the enclosure are caused by standing acoustic waves within the enclosure with frequencies in the range between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. These acoustic waves are efficiently damped by the provision of a block of acoustic absorbing material adjacent to one of the ribs of the enclosure, to such an extent that the need for thick walls of the enclosure is substantially obviated, leading to a less voluminous enclosure.

Abstract: The invention provides a particle-optical device for irradiating an object with a beam of particles. The device comprises a housing in which are located positioning means 1 for positioning the object within the housing.

Abstract: The invention provides a particle-optical device for irradiating an object with a beam of particles. The device comprises a housing in which are located positioning means 1 for positioning the object within the housing.

Abstract: Objects such as semiconductor wafers to be studied in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) are subject to vibrations which are intensified by vibration resonance of the (thin) wafer, so that the resolution of the SEM is severely degraded. In prior art it is known to support the wafer by means of elastic support members. However, such support members do not counteract the detrimental vibrations. According to the invention there are provided elastic support elements 28 that can accommodate to the inevitable shape errors of the wafer 18 and hence remain in contact with the wafer surface 32. Moreover, the support elements are embodied in such a manner that frictional contact exists between the moving part 38 of the support element and the body 34 of the object carrier 20. The support elements thus provide support which is elastic for macroscopic support but hard for the vibrational movements in the nanometer range, thus inhibiting such vibrational movements.

Abstract: Objects such as semiconductor wafers to be studied in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) are subject to vibrations which are intensified by vibration resonance of the (thin) wafer, so that the resolution of the SEM is severely degraded. In prior art it is known to support the wafer by means of elastic support members. However, such support members do not counteract the detrimental vibrations. According to the invention there are provided elastic support elements 28 that can accommodate to the inevitable shape errors of the wafer 18 and hence remain in contact with the wafer surface 32. Moreover, the support elements are embodied in such a manner that frictional contact exists between the moving part 38 of the support element and the body 34 of the object carrier 20. The support elements thus provide support which is elastic for macroscopic support but hard for the vibrational movements in the nanometer range, thus inhibiting such vibrational movements.

Abstract: An electromechanical displacement device (81) provided with a holder (90), an element (45) displaceable relative to the holder (90), and an actuator (83) connected to the holder (90) by which the element (45) can be displaced relative to the holder (90). The actuator (83) is provided with at least a first and a second clamping member (B, A) which can be clamped alternately against the element (45) under a mechanical pretensioning force F.sub.k, at least one clamping member (A) being provided with at least one piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive clamping element (61). The actuator (83) is further provided with a piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive transport element (69', 69") by which the distance between the clamping members (A, B) can be changed. When the first clamping member (B) is clamped against the element (45) under the mechanical pretensioning force F.sub.

Abstract: A magnetic-tape apparatus has a magnetic-head unit with a magnetic head having a head face for guiding a magnetic tape. The magnetic head has transducing gaps for writing and/or reading information onto/from the magnetic tape. The magnetic-head unit further comprises two height limiters having tape-guide surfaces for guiding an edge of the magnetic tape. A tangent line, which is tangent to both tape-guide surfaces, extends perpendicularly to an imaginary line in the head face and passing through the transducing gaps. If an edge of the magnetic tape is in contact with the two height limiters, the position of the magnetic tape relative to the magnetic head is always the same, so that no azimuth errors can arise. In order to bring this edge of the magnetic tape into contact with the height limiters, the magnetic-head unit is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis perpendicular to a tangent plane to the head face at the location of the transducing gaps.

Abstract: An X-ray analysis apparatus includes a scanning unit (1) with an X-ray source (3), a crystal holder (9) and an X-ray detection system (5) provided with an X-ray detector (7). The crystal holer (9) can be rectilinearly displaced in a fixed radiation pick-up direction (35) relative to the X-ray source (3). The crystal holder (9) and the X-ray detector (7) are mechanically coupled to one another via a plate (21) which can be driven by means of a motion mechanism. The X-ray source (3), the X-ray detector (7) and the crystal holder (9) remain positioned on a Rowland circle (11) during the displacement. The motion mechanism has a first guide (23) and a second guide (25). The drive direction of the first guide (23) encloses an acute angle .alpha. relative to the fixed pick-up direction (35).

Abstract: A shaving apparatus is provided which comprises a housing having a shaving head carrying an external shaving member with hair-entry apertures and an internal shaving member which is coupled to a motor in the housing and which is drivable relative to the external shaving member with a combined movement, the combined movement comprising an oscillatory rotation about an axis of rotation of the internal shaving member and a reciprocating movement in the direction of the axis of rotation. The internal shaving member is provided with a support which is flexible in the direction of the axis of rotation but which is stiff in directions transverse to said direction of the axis of rotation, and the support rotatably supports an internal shaving-member holder which is coupled to the motor.

Abstract: A depilation apparatus having a number of disc-shaped pinching plates (19) provided on a drive shaft (7) and a number of thrust cogs (41) provided on an auxiliary shaft (21), by means of which cogs the pinching plates are each tiltable about a first and a second tilting axis (81, 91) from a catching position into a pinching position in which the relevant pinching plate (19) exerts a pinching force on an adjacent pinching plate (19) tilted into the pinching position. Each pair of pinching plates positioned next to one another (19a, 19b), (19b, 19c), (19c, 19a) has a unique thrust cog (41a, 41b, 41c), so that each pinching plate (19) is in cooperation with each of its two adjacent pinching plates (19) and the hair catching range of the pinching plates (19) extends over the entire depilation opening (3). The thrust cogs (41a, 41b, 41c) are provided on the auxiliary shaft (21) at mutual angles of 120.degree.