SLIDER BEARING FOR USE WITH AN APPARATUS COMPRISING A VACUUM CHAMBER

The invention relates to a slider bearing for use with an apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber (11), the slider bearing comprising: 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. L'invention concerne un palier lisse pour une utilisation avec un appareil comprenant une chambre à vide (11), le palier lisse comprenant : une plaque de base (20) en contact avec la chambre à vide (11) au niveau d'un côté, ladite plaque de base montrant un premier trou de passage (21) en contact avec la chambre à vide (11), une deuxième plaque (30), un côté de la deuxième plaque étant en contact avec la plaque de base (20), ladite deuxième plaque montrant un deuxième trou de passage (31), les côtés de la plaque de base et de la deuxième plaque en face l'un de l'autre étant suffisamment lisses pour former un joint hermétique non élastomère, ladite plaque de base (20) et ladite deuxième plaque (30) coulissant entre une première position relative