Concept for support and heating of plate-like samples in the ultra-high vacuum

We present the concept for a sample holder designed for mounting and heating of plate-like samples that is based on a clamping mechanism for easy handling. The clamping mechanism consists of a U-shaped bracket encompassing the sample support plate from the rear. Two spring wires are fixed in the walls of the bracket spanning the sample to secure it with only two point contacts. This enables the sample to freely expand or contract during heating and cooling. To accommodate for a large variety in sample size, shape, and quality, we introduce two designs differing in the generation of the clamping force: One pressing the sample against the spring wires, the other one pulling the spring wires onto the sample. Both designs yield an automatically even alignment of the sample during the mounting process to achieve an even load distribution and reliable fixation specifically for brittle samples. For high temperature treatment, the sample holders are enhanced by a resistive heating plate. As only the sample and a small fraction of the sample holder are heated, temperatures of 1300 °C are reached with only 8 W heating power. The sample support and heating components are mounted on a 11 mm × 13 mm base plate with a handle that can be transferred between the sample entry stage, the preparation stage, and surface science experiments in the ultra-high vacuum system.