Apparatus for and method of protecting light optical components during laser ablation

摘要

A method of and an apparatus (300) to perform laser ablation in the vicinity of a charged particle beam (308) while simultaneously protecting the light optical components (316) of the apparatus (300) utilized to perform the ablation from being coated with debris resulting from the ablation process. A protective transparent screen (400) is used to shield the laser optical components(316). A preferred screen 400) could be replaced or repositioned without breaking vacuum in the sample chamber (340) and would not be particularly susceptible to undesirable charging effects.