At the Diffraction Station (EH2), samples are mounted in air and at room temperature. We have a few standard sample holders for various measurement types. Any other sample support that is compatible with our sample scanner can be used.
The large working distance at the NanoMAX Diffraction Endstation (EH2) means that samples mounting is very flexible. Most samples <10 mm in diameter are easily accommodated. Below are typical mounting schemes for samples, but if you have concerns about mounting your irregular sample, contact the beamline staff before proposal submission or well in advance of an approved experiment.
Standard Sample Holders
SEM Sample Mount
Samples can be mounted on standard SEM specimen stubs for the reflection geometry. Stubs of 12.7 mm diameter with 3.2 mm pins are provided.
For transmission geometry measurements two types of standard holders are being used at NanoMAX. The first, OMNY pins, can be used at both the diffraction and the imaging endstation. Some other beamlines around the world use the same sample pins. We offer flat versions with either a 4×4 mm or a 5×5 mm mounting area.
There are also point versions for tomography experiments. The holders are either made from copper (coated with gold) or aluminium (not coated). Holders made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) can be requested for highly sensitive fluorescence measurements.
A reasonable amount of sample holders can be provided by the beamline staff for your experiment.
The second option for measuring samples in transmission/reflection geometry is a NanoMAX specific solution. These flat holders (“type B”) are made from Aluminium and allow for mounting up to three samples in three groves on the top half of the holder. Due to this grove, these sample holders are well suited for X-ray fluorescence measurements (less background from the holder)
