Compact Scanning Electron Microscope

A slider bearing for use with an apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber (11). The slider bearing comprises: a base plate (20) in contact with the vacuum chamber (11) at one side, said base plate showing a first through-hole (21) in contact with the vacuum chamber (11), a second plate (30), one side of the second plate in contact with the base plate (20), said second plate showing a second through-hole (31), the faces of the base plate and the second plate facing each other being sufficiently smooth to form a non-elastomeric vacuum seal, said base plate (20) and said second plate (30) slidable between a first relative position in which the first through-hole (21) and the second through-hole (31) do not overlap and a second relative position in which the first through-hole and the second through-hole overlap, characterised in that the second plate (30) is a flexible plate, the face of the flexible plate opposite to the base plate is equipped to seal against a cup (50), the cup equipped to hold a sample (1), the first through-hole (21) in the base plate shows a rim facing the flexible plate (30) with a controlled curvature, the curvature of the rim formed such that the vacuum seal between the base plate and the flexible plate forms on a pre-defined contour and that the Hertzian contact pressure is smaller than a pre-defined maximum contact pressure, the pre-determined maximum contact pressure chosen to minimise particle generation. By forming the second plate as a flexible plate the pressure with which the base plate and the second plate are pressed together is better reproducible than when both plates are rigid. By forming the rim with a controlled radius, the particle generation is minimized.