Tiltable specimen holding device for electron beam apparatus

Claim 1

A TILTABLE SPECIMEN HOLDING DEVICE FOR USE WITHIN THE HOUSING OF AN ELECTRON BEAM APPARATUS COMPRISING, (A) TWO SETS OF PIVOT MEANS, EACH SET COMPRISING SPACED OPPOSING PIVOT POINTS, SAID PIVOT POINTS BEING POSITIONED ORTHOGONALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE OPTICAL AXIS OF SAID DEVICE AND THE AXES BETWEEN THE SETS OF SAID OPPOSING PIVOT POINTS BEING DISPOSED TO DEFINE SUBSTANTIALLY COMMON PLANE; (B) MOUNTING MEANS CONSISTING OF (1) A CONICALLY SHAPED CARTRIDGE TO HOLD THE SPECIMEN, AND (2) MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID CARTRIDGE IN SAID PIVOT MEANS SO THAT SAID SPECIMEN CARTRIDGE MAY BE TILTED ALONG THE AXES OF BOTH OF SAID PIVOT MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING ONE SURFACE OF SAID SPECIMEN WITHIN SAID OPTICAL AXIS AND MAINTAINING AT LEAST ONE POINT ON SAID SURFACE WITHIN SAID COMMON PLANE; AND (C) TILTING MEANS COMPRISING, (1) A RING-SHAPED MOUNT POSITIONED AROUND SAID CARTRIDGE SO THAT SAID CARTRIDGE BEARS ON THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID RING-SHAPED MOUNT TO LIMIT THE ANGLE OF INCLINATION OF SAID CARTRIDGE, (2) MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF SAID RINGSHAPED MOUNT ALONG SAID OPTICAL AXIS IN RESPECT TO SAID CARTRIDGE SO AS TO VARY THE ANGLE OF INCLINATION; AND (3) A CARTRIDGE HOLDER ROTATABLE ABOUT SAID OPTICAL AXIS AND ENGAGING SAID CARTRIDGE AT A POSITION SPACED FROM SAID PIVOT MEANS FOR TILTING THE CARTRIDGE AGAINST THE RING-SHAPED MOUNT.