Patent ID: 7076996

Claim:
A scanning probe microscope comprising: a) a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls joining the top and bottom walls, the housing being hermetically sealed from the outside environment for maintaining an ambient or non-ambient condition; b) a head assembly sealingly secured to the housing and including an actuator having a probe adapted to engage a sample positioned within the housing; c) a stage assembly sealingly secured to and extending through the bottom wall into the interior of the housing, the stage assembly including: a base fixed to the bottom wall opposite the head assembly; a first slide plate disposed on and movable in a first direction with respect to the base; a second slide plate disposed between the bottom wall and the first slide plate, the second plate movable with respect to the base and the first plate in a second direction; a first sealing member disposed on the second plate and sealingly engaged with the bottom wall; a sample support stage positioned within the interior of the housing and operably connected to the second plate; whereby the stage assembly translates the sample without disturbing the ambient or non-ambient condition; and wherein the stage assembly further comprises at least one vertical actuator extending through the first plate and through the second plate, and connected to the sample support stage at one end.