Patent ID: 8791438

Claim:
An ion beam sample preparation apparatus comprising: a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber and directing a first ion beam toward said sample, said first ion beam irradiating means operatively coupled to a first ion beam intensity control means, said first ion beam having a first central ion beam axis, said first ion beam intensity control means operative to produce at least two different ion beam intensities, and a second ion beam irradiation means disposed in said vacuum chamber on the side of a sample holder opposite said first ion beam irradiation means; and b) a first ion beam tilt control means operatively coupled to said first ion beam irradiating means and configured to provide at least two different tilt angles of said first ion beam irradiating means; c) a rotation stage disposed inside said vacuum chamber having a rotation axis and coupled to a rotation drive, said rotation drive operative to rotate said rotation stage around said rotation axis, said rotation axis being positioned to intersect a portion of said first ion beam; d) an adjustable positioning stage that is adjustably coupled to said rotation stage, said adjustable positioning stage coupled to said sample holder, said sample holder configured to support said sample; said sample holder further characterized as positioning said sample so that said rotation axis and said first central ion beam axis both intersect substantially the same portion of said sample that is being prepared in said first ion beam; and, e) said adjustable positioning stage further comprising: a first position adjustment means configured to move said adjustable positioning stage along a first adjustment axis; and, a second position adjustment means configured to move said adjustable positioning stage along a second adjustment axis.