| US 7,474,419 B2 | ||
| Stage assembly, particle-optical apparatus comprising such a stage assembly, and method of treating a sample in such an apparatus | ||
| Hendrik Gezinus Tappel, Casteren (Netherlands); Ian Johannes Bernardus van Hees, Zaltbommel (Netherlands); Danny Lankers, Roosendaal (Netherlands); Gerard Nicolaas Anne van Veen, Waalre (Netherlands); Richard Young, Beaverton, Oreg. (US); and Lucille Ann Giannuzzi, Orlando, Fla. (US) | ||
| Assigned to FEI Company, Hillsboro, Oreg. (US) | ||
| Filed on Oct. 31, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/590,583. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 05110225 (EP), filed on Nov. 01, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0125958 A1, Jun. 07, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01B 11/14 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 356—614 [356/615; 356/620; 356/621] | 20 Claims |
| 1. A stage assembly for positioning a sample in the vicinity of a reference point, comprising:
a sample table for mounting a sample; and
a set of actuators, arranged so as to effect translation of the sample table along directions substantially parallel to an
X-axis perpendicular to a reference plane, a Y-axis parallel to the reference plane, and a Z-axis parallel to the reference
plane, said X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis being mutually orthogonal and passing through the reference point, the set of actuators
being further arranged to effect:
rotation of the sample table about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the Z-axis, and;
rotation of the sample table about a flip axis substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis, in which the flip axis is itself
rotatable about the rotation axis.
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