Patent ID: 8334511

Claim:
An electron microscope comprising: a vacuum chamber for containing a specimen to be analyzed; an optics column, including an electron source and a final probe forming lens, for focusing electrons emitted from said electron source; a specimen stage positioned in said vacuum chamber under said probe forming lens for holding the specimen; an x-ray detector positioned within said vacuum chamber, said x-ray detector including an x-ray sensitive solid-state sensor and a mechanical support system for supporting and positioning said detector, including said sensor, within said vacuum chamber, wherein the entirety of said mechanical support system is contained within said vacuum chamber; an electronic circuit board, wherein said electronic circuit board is sealed between two components of said vacuum chamber by means of seals applied to the opposite faces of said circuit board such that an area of the circuit board interior to said seals is within said vacuum chamber, and an area of the circuit board exterior to said seals is exterior to said vacuum chamber, said circuit board having conductors for carrying electrical signals between components of said x-ray detector located both exterior and interior to said vacuum chamber.