Patent ID: 7574932

Claim:
A sample holding mechanism having possessed a sample holder mounting and holding a sheet-like sample on its upper face, and a base detachably supporting the sample holder, comprising: a rotation support part, a slide support part and at least one butting support part detachably provided respectively between the sample holder and the base, the rotation support part supporting the sample holder so as to be rotatable with respect to the base, the slide support part supporting the sample holder so as to be slidable with respect to the base from a rotation center of the rotation support part toward a predetermined X-direction, and the butting support part supporting the sample holder so as to be slidable with respect to the base in the X-direction and a Y-direction intersecting perpendicularly to the X-direction; an X-direction positioning member provided in the upper face of the sample holder, and disposed along the Y-direction from the rotation center of the rotation support part and positioning the sample in the X-direction while butting against one side of the sample, and a Y-direction positioning member provided in the upper face of the sample holder, and disposed along the X-direction from the rotation center of the rotation support part and positioning the sample in the Y-direction while butting against the other side adjoining the one side of the sample.