Spherical chamber - effective solution for multipurpose nuclear microprobe

Vacuum chambers for multipurpose nuclear microprobes must provide for the installation and servicing of several detection systems operating simultaneously, as well as sample visual control and mechanical manipulation. Detectors for X-rays, scattered ions, nuclear reaction products, secondary electrons, secondary luminescence and optical microscopes are mounted at the angles preferably larger than 120 degrees with respect to the beam direction. Their positioning should not increase the space in the region between the ion lens and the focal point of the microprobe. Spherical chambers presented here effectively solve this problem and offer, at the same time, ports for gamma-ray detector, annular microscope, easy manual access in the sample region, ports for vertical and horizontal sample positioning and manipulation, as well as STIM and ERDA detectors at forward scattering angles and the Faraday cup. The basic construction, resulting in the three different but similar chamber designs at three nuclear microprobes worldwide, are presented. Current installation details, comments on the performance and suggested improvements are given. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.