Patent ID: 8716683

Claim:
An ion beam processing system for processing a sample mounted on a sample stage by irradiating the sample with an ion beam in a sample chamber, said ion beam processing system comprising: a sealable enclosure defining the sample chamber; an ion source associated with said enclosure for producing the ion beam; a sample container including a sample support portion on which the sample is placed, a base portion for supporting the sample support portion, and a cover portion formed so as to be detachably mountable to the base portion and forming a sealed space for hermetically closing off the sample; said sample stage supported from the enclosure within the sample chamber on which the sample container can be detachably mounted; a cover mounting/dismounting means for mounting and dismounting the cover portion from outside the sample chamber; such that after processing the sample can be protected for removal from the enclosure by remounting the cover portion, wherein said sample container has a valve permitting gas to be evacuated from inside the sealed space in response to a difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the sealed space, and wherein said sample container is provided with a window to permit the sealed space to be visually checked from outside the sample container.