Noble Dome Air-Free Transfer System

The Noble Dome introduces a valuable advancement in microanalysis techniques by attaching a glove box directly to a SEM/FIB. While traditional loading methods expose samples to atmosphere during transfer, the Noble Dome preserves the integrity of air-sensitive materials by transferring them in and out of an instrument in an oxygen-free environment. This attachment addresses the challenge of loading air-sensitive samples into instruments with a practical and innovative approach, eliminating restrictions on sample size, stage navigation, and the need for an intermediary glove box or inert gas transfer shuttle. The Noble Dome was invented and prototyped at CAMCOR at the University of Oregon with a patent pending. To test Noble Dome’s ability to protect samples from atmosphere, the same location on a lithium metal sample was imaged and analyzed with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) when it was in a pristine state, after sitting in an argon environment in Noble Dome for 30 minutes, and after sitting in atmosphere for 30 minutes. Very little change was seen in the surface topography and oxygen counts between the sample in its pristine state and after having sat in the Noble Dome for 30 minutes, however a marked increase in surface oxidation and topography was observed after the sample had sat in atmosphere for 30 minutes.