Patent Publication Number: US-2022221105-A1

Title: Transfer port system for cryogenic environments

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The subject disclosure relates to cryogenic environments, and more specifically, to transfer port systems for cryogenic environments. 
     Exchanging samples positioned on sample mounting surfaces of a cryogenic environment such as a cryostat can be time consuming and energy inefficient. For example, accessing a sample mounting surface to exchange samples can involve warming up an inner chamber of a cryostat housing the sample mounting surface to room temperature. Accessing the sample mounting surface can also involve venting an outer vacuum chamber to increase pressure within the outer vacuum chamber to ambient pressure. Once a sample is loaded onto the sample mounting surface, the process can be reversed by reducing pressure within the outer vacuum chamber and cooling down the inner chamber of the cryostat to cryogenic temperatures. 
     Some cryostats employ top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms to mitigate the time and energy costs associated with changing samples positioned on sample mounting surfaces. To that end, such top-loading or bottom sample exchange mechanisms can involve attaching a sample to a probe that is communicatively coupled with a sample mounting surface via a vacuum tube. The probe can traverse the vacuum tube to bring the sample into mechanical and thermal contact with the sample mounting surface. In doing so, cryogenic temperatures can be maintained within an inner chamber housing the sample mounting surface and vacuum conditions can be maintained within an outer vacuum chamber encompassing the inner chamber while exchanging samples. As such, top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms can mitigate the time and energy costs associated with changing samples positioned on sample mounting surfaces. 
     However, the scalability of cryostats employing top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms can be limited. For example, top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms generally involve increased vertical clearance requirements. In some instances, an additional 0.7 meters or more of vertical clearance can be involved in employing a bottom-loading sample exchange mechanism and an additional 1.5 meters or more of vertical clearance can be involved in employing a top-loading sample exchange mechanism. As another example, top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms are generally incapable of concurrently exchanging multiple samples. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a summary to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements, or delineate any scope of the particular embodiments or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. In one or more embodiments described herein, systems, devices, and/or methods that facilitate transfer port systems for cryogenic environments are described. 
     According to an embodiment, an outer vacuum chamber of a cryostat can comprise a sidewall encompassing an inner chamber comprising a sample mounting surface. The sidewall can comprise a feedthrough port providing access to the sample mounting surface from a region external to the outer vacuum chamber. One aspect of such an outer vacuum chamber is that the outer vacuum chamber can facilitate reducing vertical clearance requirements for cryostats. 
     In an embodiment, the outer vacuum chamber can further comprise a vacuum valve coupled to the feedthrough port that maintains a pressure differential between an ambient environment and an interior of the outer vacuum chamber. One aspect of such an outer vacuum chamber is that the outer vacuum chamber can facilitate exchanging samples loaded on the sample mounting surface while maintaining vacuum conditions within the outer vacuum chamber. 
     According to another embodiment, a cryostat can comprise a sidewall intervening between a top plate and a bottom plate to form an outer vacuum chamber that encompasses an inner chamber comprising a sample mounting surface. The top plate can comprise a first feedthrough port and the bottom plate can comprise a second feedthrough port. The first and second feedthrough ports can provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface from an exterior of the outer vacuum chamber. The sample mounting surface can receive samples via a third feedthrough port disposed on the sidewall. One aspect of such a cryostat is that the cryostat can facilitate accommodating an increased number of feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines. 
     In an embodiment, the first and second feedthrough ports are aligned with an axis that is orthogonal with the top plate. In an embodiment, the first and second feedthrough ports are aligned with an axis that is non-orthogonal with the top plate. One aspect of such cryostats is that such cryostats can facilitate increased flexibility for routing input/output lines. 
     According to another embodiment, a cryostat can comprise an inner chamber comprising a sample mounting surface and a first feedthrough port aligned with a second feedthrough port disposed on a sidewall of an outer vacuum chamber encompassing the inner vacuum chamber to provide access to the sample mounting surface from a region external to the outer vacuum chamber. One aspect of such a cryostat is that the cryostat can mitigate thermal losses associated with exchanging samples loaded on to the sample mounting surface. 
     In an embodiment, the inner chamber further comprises a plurality of feedthrough ports including the first feedthrough port. The plurality of feedthrough ports being aligned with corresponding feedthrough ports disposed on the sidewall of the outer vacuum to provide access to the sample mounting surface from the region external to the outer vacuum chamber. One aspect of such a cryostat is that the cryostat can facilitate concurrently exchanging multiple samples. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example, non-limiting cryostat, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber of a cryostat with a sidewall including a feedthrough port, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber encompassing an inner chamber, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber of  FIG. 3  with a thermal shield intervening between a sidewall of the outer vacuum chamber and the inner chamber, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber with a side loading mechanism, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber with a sidewall including multiple feedthrough ports, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber encompassing an inner chamber with multiple feedthrough ports, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber with a sidewall partitioned into multiple sections, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber with top and bottom plates having feedthrough ports providing respective lines of an input/output pair sample mounting surface access, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates the example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber of  FIG. 9  with a thermal plate intervening between the bottom plate and the sample mounting surface, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber with top and bottom plates each having multiple feedthrough ports providing respective lines of input/output pairs sample mounting surface access, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates an example, non-limiting inner chamber, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit embodiments and/or application or uses of embodiments. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied information presented in the preceding Background or Summary sections, or in the Detailed Description section. 
     One or more embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like referenced numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the one or more embodiments. It is evident, however, in various cases, that the one or more embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example, non-limiting cryostat  100 , in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. As shown in  FIG. 1 , cryostat  100  comprises an outer vacuum chamber  110  formed by a sidewall  120  intervening between a top plate  130  and a bottom plate  140 . In operation, outer vacuum chamber  110  can maintain a pressure differential between an ambient environment  150  of outer vacuum chamber  110  and an interior  160  of outer vacuum chamber  110 . Cryostat  100  further comprises a plurality of thermal stages (or stages)  170  disposed within interior  160  that are each mechanically coupled to top plate  130 . The plurality of stages  170  includes: stage  171 , stage  173 , stage  175 , stage  177 , and stage  179 . Each stage among the plurality of stages  170  can be associated with a different temperature. For example, stage  171  can be associated with a temperature of 50 Kelvin (K), stage  173  can be associated with a temperature of 4 K, stage  175  can be associated with a temperature of 700 millikelvin (mK), stage  177  can be associated with a temperature of 100 mK, and stage  179  can be associated with a temperature of 10 mK. Each stage among the plurality of stages  170  is spatially isolated from other stages of the plurality of stages  170  by a plurality of support rods (e.g., support rods  172  and  174 ). In an embodiment, stage  175  can be a Still stage, stage  177  can be a Cold Plate stage, and stage  179  can be a Mixing Chamber stage. 
     Embodiments described herein address the deficiencies discussed above to facilitate efficient and scalable cryostat sample exchanges. For example, as discussed above, employing top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms can involve an additional vertical clearance for cryostats of 1.5 meters or 0.7 meters, respectively. In contrast, embodiments described herein implement side-loading sample exchange mechanism that can reduce vertical clearance requirements for cryostats. As another example, top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms are generally incapable of concurrently exchanging multiple samples. In contrast, embodiments described herein implement multiple side-loading sample exchange mechanisms to facilitate the concurrent exchange of multiple samples within a cryostat. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber  200  that can facilitate implementing side-loading sample exchange mechanisms, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. In an embodiment, outer vacuum chamber  100  of  FIG. 1  can be implemented using outer vacuum chamber  200 . As shown by  FIG. 2 , outer vacuum chamber  200  can be formed by a sidewall  230  intervening between a top plate  210  and a bottom plate  220 . Sidewall  230  includes a feedthrough port  240  that can provide access to a sample mounting surface positioned within outer vacuum chamber  200 . In an embodiment, feedthrough port  240  can mitigate thermal losses associated with exchanging samples loaded on a sample mounting surface within an inner chamber encompassed by outer vacuum chamber  200 . By mitigating such thermal losses, feedthrough port  240  can facilitate reducing sample cooldown times, cryostat operating times, and/or energy costs associated with cryostat cooling operations. 
     In  FIG. 2 , feedthrough port  240  depicted as being positioned approximately equidistant from top plate  210  and bottom plate  220 . That is, distance  250  is approximately equal to distance  260 . In some embodiments, feedthrough port  240  can be positioned closer to top plate  210 . In other embodiments, feedthrough port  240  can be positioned closer to bottom plate  220 . In embodiments where feedthrough port  240  is positioned off-center (e.g., closer to top plate  210  or closer to bottom plate  220 ), feedthrough port  240  can deviate from a mid-point between top plate  210  and bottom plate  220  by a threshold distance. In an embodiment, the threshold distance can be defined by a diameter of feedthrough port  240 , a height of sidewall  230 , a circumference of top plate  210  and/or bottom plate  220 , a thickness of sidewall  230 , or a combination thereof. 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , sidewall  230  can encompass an inner chamber  310  positioned within an interior  303  of outer vacuum chamber  200 . Feedthrough port  240  can provide access to sample mounting surface  340  of inner chamber  310  from a region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . To facilitate that access, inner chamber  310  can comprise a feedthrough port  320  that can mitigate thermal losses associated with exchanging samples loaded on sample mounting surface  340 . By mitigating such thermal losses, feedthrough port  320  can facilitate reducing sample cooldown times, cryostat operating times, and/or energy costs associated with cryostat cooling operations. In an embodiment, feedthrough port  320  is aligned with feedthrough port  240  such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  330  between sample mounting surface  340  and the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . In an embodiment, sample mounting surface  340  can be thermally coupled to a Mixing Chamber stage of a cryostat (e.g., cryostat  100  of  FIG. 1 ). 
     In various embodiments, a thermal shield  410  can intervene between feedthrough port  240  and sample mounting surface  340 , as illustrated by  FIG. 4 . In an embodiment, thermal shield  410  can be mechanically coupled to a thermal plate associated with a thermal stage of a cryostat. For example, thermal shield  410  can be mechanically coupled to a thermal plate associated with a 50-K stage, a 4-K stage, a Still stage, or a Cold Plate stage. By virtue of intervening between feedthrough port  240  and sample mounting surface  340 , thermal shield  410  can interrupt line of clearance  330 . As such, thermal shield  410  can comprise a feedthrough port  420  to facilitate access to sample mounting surface  340  from the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . In an embodiment, feedthrough ports  240 ,  320 , and/or  420  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  330  between sample mounting surface  340  and the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , outer vacuum chamber  200  can further comprise a vacuum valve  510  coupled to feedthrough port  240 . Vacuum valve  510  can maintain a pressure differential between an ambient environment (e.g., the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 ) and the interior  303  of outer vacuum chamber  200 . As such, vacuum valve  510  can facilitate exchanging samples loaded on sample mounting surface  340  while maintaining vacuum conditions within outer vacuum chamber  200 . In an embodiment, vacuum valve  510  can be implemented using a gate valve. In an embodiment, vacuum valve  510  can comprise: bronze, iron, stainless steel, cast steel, and the like.  FIG. 5  also illustrates that outer vacuum chamber  200  can further comprise a loading mechanism  520  that can facilitate loading a sample onto sample mounting surface  340  via feedthrough port  240 . In an embodiment, loading mechanism  520  can comprise edge welded bellows. 
     To the extent that it facilitates loading samples onto sample mounting surface  340  via feedthrough port  240  of sidewall  230 —instead of via feedthrough ports provided by top plate  210  or bottom plate  220 —loading mechanism  520  can comprise a side-loading sample exchange mechanism. By including feedthrough port  240  in sidewall  230  that can interface with such side-loading sample exchange mechanisms, outer vacuum chamber  200  can provide an alternative to outer vacuum chambers that interface with top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms. As such, outer vacuum chamber  200  facilitates reduced vertical clearance requirements for cryostats by avoiding the additional vertical clearances associated with employing top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms. 
     In addition to facilitating reduced vertical clearance requirements for cryostats, embodiments described herein can also facilitate concurrently exchanging multiple samples within a cryostat. For example, as illustrated by  FIG. 6 , multiple feedthrough ports can be provided in a sidewall  230  of an outer vacuum chamber  600 . In  FIG. 6 , the multiple feedthrough ports include feedthrough ports  240 ,  610 ,  620 , and  630 . Each feedthrough port of outer vacuum chamber  600  can be coupled to a vacuum valve  510  coupled to a loading mechanism (not shown). Each loading mechanism can facilitate loading a sample onto one or more sample mounting surfaces within outer vacuum chamber  600  via a vacuum valve (not shown) coupled to a respective feedthrough port. In an embodiment, such loading mechanisms and vacuum valves can be implemented using loading mechanism  520  and vacuum valve  510  of  FIG. 5 , respectively. 
     By way of example, a sidewall  230  of an outer vacuum chamber  700  can comprise two feedthrough ports (e.g., feedthrough ports  240  and  710 ), as illustrated by  FIG. 7 . In  FIG. 7 , feedthrough ports  240  and  710  each provide access to sample mounting surface  340  from a region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  700 . To facilitate such access, inner chamber  310  can comprise multiple feedthrough ports that are each aligned with a given feedthrough port of sidewall  230 . As shown by  FIG. 7 , inner chamber  310  comprises a feedthrough port  320  aligned with feedthrough port  240  and a feedthrough port  730  aligned with feedthrough port  710 . Feedthrough ports  240  and  320  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  330  between sample mounting surface  340  and the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . Moreover, feedthrough ports  710  and  730  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  720  between sample mounting surface  340  and the region  301  external to outer vacuum chamber  200 . 
     In various embodiments, a sidewall of an outer vacuum chamber can be partitioned into multiple sections to facilitate employing side-loading sample exchange mechanisms. By way of example,  FIG. 8  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber  800  with a sidewall partitioned into two sections—sections  810  and  820 . As illustrated by  FIG. 8 , sections  810  and  820  each extend between top plate  210  and bottom plate  220  of outer vacuum chamber  800 . In an embodiment, sections  810  and  820  can be removably coupled such that section  810  can be removed from outer vacuum chamber  800  in a direction  815  and section  820  can be removed from outer vacuum chamber  800  in a direction  825  that opposes direction  815 . In  FIG. 8 , section  820  comprises a feedthrough port  240  that provides access to sample mounting surface  340  from a region  301  external to the outer vacuum chamber  800  whereas section  810  lacks any such feedthrough ports. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that sections  810  and  820  can each include one or more feedthrough ports that provide access to a sample mounting surface positioned within outer vacuum chamber  800  in accordance with embodiments described herein. 
     Cryostats comprising outer vacuum chambers that interface with top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms generally provide feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines on a single side due to setup requirements associated with top-loading or bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms. For example, some cryostats that interface with bottom-loading sample exchange mechanisms can involve lowering a sidewall and a bottom plate of an outer vacuum chamber down during setup. To accommodate for such lowering of the sidewall and bottom plate during setup, feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines can be provided on a top plate of the outer vacuum chamber. 
     In contrast, setup requirements for side-loading sample exchange mechanisms can facilitate providing feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines on multiple sides of an outer vacuum chamber. As such, another aspect of employing side-loading sample exchange mechanisms is that outer vacuum chambers interfacing with such sample exchange mechanisms can accommodate an increased number of feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines. By way of example,  FIG. 9  illustrates an example, non-limiting outer vacuum chamber  900  with a top plate  210  comprising a feedthrough port  910  and a bottom plate  220  comprising a feedthrough port  930 . 
     In  FIG. 9 , feedthrough ports  910  and  930  provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to sample mounting surface  340  from an exterior of outer vacuum chamber  900 . For example, one line of the input/output pair accessing sample mounting surface  340  via feedthrough ports  910  or  930  can propagate input to a sample loaded onto sample loading surface  340  via feedthrough port  240  while the remaining line of the input/output pair can propagate output from the sample responsive to the input. 
     To facilitate such access, inner chamber  310  can comprise feedthrough ports  950  and  960  that align with feedthrough port  910  of top plate  210  and feedthrough port  930  of bottom plate  230 , respectively. Feedthrough ports  910  and  950  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  920  between sample mounting surface  340  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  900 . Moreover, feedthrough ports  930  and  960  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  940  between sample mounting surface  340  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  900 . 
     In various embodiments, a thermal plate can intervene between a feedthrough port providing a line of an input/output pair access to a sample mounting surface from an exterior of an outer vacuum chamber. For example,  FIG. 10  illustrates a thermal plate  1010  intervening between feedthrough port  930  of bottom plate  220  and sample mounting surface  340 . In an embodiment, thermal plate  1010  can be associated with a thermal stage of a cryostat. For example, thermal plate  1010  can be associated with a 50-K stage, a 4-K stage, a Still stage, or a Cold Plate stage. 
     By virtue of intervening between feedthrough port  930  and sample mounting surface  340 , thermal plate  1010  can interrupt line of clearance  940 . As such, thermal plate  1010  can comprise a feedthrough port  1020  to facilitate access to sample mounting surface  340  from the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  900 . In an embodiment, feedthrough ports  930 ,  960 , and/or  1020  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  940  between sample mounting surface  340  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  900 . While  FIG. 10  illustrates thermal plate  1010  as intervening between bottom plate  220  and sample mounting surface  340 , one skilled in the art will appreciate that thermal plate  1010  can also intervene between top plate  210  and sample mounting surface  340 . 
     In addition to facilitating an increased number of feedthrough ports for passage of input/output lines through an outer vacuum chamber of a cryostat, embodiments described herein can also facilitate increased flexibility for routing such input/output lines. For example, a top plate  210  and a bottom plate  220  of an outer vacuum chamber  1100  each include multiple feedthrough ports that can provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to a sample mounting surface from an exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . In outer vacuum chamber  1100 , the multiple feedthrough ports can include feedthrough ports  1105 ,  1110 ,  1150 ,  1155 , and  1160 . 
     As illustrated by  FIG. 11 , feedthrough port  1105  of top plate  210  and feedthrough port  1110  of bottom plate  220  provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to a sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  310  from an exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . To facilitate such access, inner chamber  310  can comprise feedthrough ports  1115  and  1120  that align with feedthrough port  1105  of top plate  210  and feedthrough port  1110  of bottom plate  230 , respectively. Feedthrough ports  1105  and  1115  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  1101  between the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  310  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . Moreover, feedthrough ports  1110  and  1120  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  1102  between the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  310  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . 
       FIG. 11  further illustrates that feedthrough port  1150  of top plate  210  and feedthrough port  1160  of bottom plate  220  provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to a sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  from an exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . To facilitate such access, inner chamber  1135  can comprise feedthrough ports  1165  and  1170  that align with feedthrough port  1150  of top plate  210  and feedthrough port  1160  of bottom plate  230 , respectively. Feedthrough ports  1150  and  1165  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  1103  between the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . Moreover, feedthrough ports  1160  and  1170  can be aligned such that those feedthrough ports form a line of clearance  1104  between the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  and the exterior of outer vacuum chamber  1100 . 
     A comparison between the arrangement of feedthrough ports (e.g., feedthrough ports  1105  and  1110 ) providing respective lines of an input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  310  and the arrangement of feedthrough ports (e.g., feedthrough ports  1150  and  1160 ) providing respective lines of an input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  illustrates an aspect of facilitating increased flexibility for routing such input/output lines. For example, feedthrough ports  1105  and  1110  that provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  310  are aligned with an axis  1125  that is orthogonal with top plate  210 . 
     In contrast, feedthrough ports  1150  and  1160  that provide respective lines of an input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  are aligned with an axis  1175  that is non-orthogonal with top plate  210 . Feedthrough ports  1150  and  1155  could alternatively provide respective lines of the input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  if design constraints call for orthogonal alignment with respect to top plate  210 . Yet, in the example illustrated by  FIG. 11 , design constraints called for non-orthogonal alignment with respect to top plate  210 . As such, feedthrough ports  1150  and  1160  were utilized to provide respective lines of the input/output pair access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135 . 
     In  FIG. 11 , the multiple feedthrough ports of top plate  210  and bottom plate  220  are illustrated as providing respective lines of input/output pairs access to different sample mounting surfaces (not shown) positioned within different inner chambers (e.g., inner chambers  310  and  1135 ). In an embodiment, the multiple feedthrough ports of top plate  210  and bottom plate  220  can provide respective lines of input/output pairs access to a single sample mounting surface. For example, a sample can be loaded onto the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  along a line of clearance  1145  formed by feedthrough ports  1130  and  1140 . In this example, each feedthrough port of top plate  210  and bottom plate  220  can provide respective lines of input/output pairs access to the sample mounting surface (not shown) within inner chamber  1135  to propagate inputs to the sample and outputs from the sample responsive to the inputs. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates an example, non-limiting inner chamber  1200 , in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. As illustrated by  FIG. 12 , inner chamber  1200  comprises a feedthrough port  1210  that can be aligned with a feedthrough port provided in a sidewall of an outer vacuum chamber encompassing inner chamber  1200  to form a line of clearance  1220 . Feedthrough port  1210  can facilitate loading a sample onto sample mounting surface  1230  from a region external to the outer vacuum chamber. Sample mounting surface  1230  comprises a thermal anchor  1240  that facilitates thermally sinking the sample loaded via feedthrough port  1210  to sample mounting surface  1230 . To that end, thermal anchor  1240  can be thermally coupled to sample mounting surface  1230 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 12 , thermal anchor  1240  is illustrated as an “L” bracket comprising thermally conductive material (e.g., copper, gold, brass, stainless steel, silver, platinum, and the like). In other embodiments, thermal anchor  1240  can be implemented using a different mechanism that facilitates thermally sinking samples to sample mounting surface  1230 . For example, thermal anchor  1240  can be implemented using a clamping mechanism comprising thermally conductive material that applies a clamping force to a sample that is brought into contact with the clamping mechanism. In an embodiment, inner chamber  1200  further comprises an additional feedthrough port that provides access to a release mechanism that facilitates disengaging a clamping force that thermal anchor  1240  applies to a sample. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may be a system, a method, and/or an apparatus at any possible technical detail level of integration. What has been described above includes mere examples of systems, methods, and apparatus. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or computer-implemented methods for purposes of describing this disclosure, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of this disclosure are possible. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “possesses,” and the like are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices and drawings such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. 
     In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in the subject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. As used herein, the terms “example” and/or “exemplary” are utilized to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as an “example” and/or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. 
     While certain example embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope the disclosures herein. Thus, nothing in the foregoing description is intended to imply that any particular feature, characteristic, step, module, or block is necessary or indispensable. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosures herein. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of certain of the disclosures herein.