Patent ID: 7952082

Claim:
A sample preparation system mounted on the wall of a vacuum chamber for irradiating a sample with an ion beam held within the vacuum chamber such that a surface of the sample to be processed may be adjustably positioned at an angle not perpendicular to the ion beam and that the beam is made to hit the processed sample while rotating the sample about an axis perpendicular to the processed surface of the sample, said sample preparation system comprising: a rotating mechanism for rotating the sample holder about a first axis perpendicular to a surface of the sample holder carrying the sample thereon; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the sample holder about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, a cylindrical enclosure mounted in the wall of the vacuum chamber extending axially from both sides of the wall of the vacuum chamber wherein said rotating mechanism and said tilting mechanism are mounted in said cylindrical enclosure having the sample holder mounted therein at one end thereof, said sample holder extending out of the enclosure where it can be exposed to the ion beam, said cylindrical enclosure having an electric motor therein at the end opposite the sample holder, and a partially flexible drive shaft extending from the motor to the sample holder through the wall of the vacuum chamber.