Patent ID: 7287387

Claim:
Cooling apparatus for cooling a target apparatus, comprising: a vacuum chamber; an inner chamber positioned within the vacuum chamber and adapted in use to contain a coolant for cooling the target apparatus within the interior of the inner chamber; and a mechanical refrigerator for refrigerating the coolant and having at least one cooled part in contact with the coolant, wherein the mechanical refrigerator is coupled to at least one of the vacuum chamber and the inner chamber only through vibration-reducing couplings so as to reduce the effect of vibrations from the mechanical refrigerator upon the target apparatus, the at least one cooled part is in gaseous communication with the interior of the inner chamber such that the at least one cooled part in contact with the coolant shares a common pressure environment with the inner chamber interior, and each cooled part of the mechanical refrigerator is in gaseous communication with the interior of the inner chamber.