METHOD OF FORMING VITRIFIED SAMPLE FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming a vitrified sample on a sample holder (112) for inspection in an electron microscope (100, 106).SOLUTION: It is known to spray a solution on a grid and then immerse the grid in a cryogenic liquid, such as ethane or liquid nitrogen. The invention proposes to spray (via a metal needle 118) small droplets of the liquid on a cryogenic surface (112), such as a sample holder or a grid in a vacuum. The liquid forms vitrified sample material (200, 202) when hitting the surface because of the low temperature of the sample holder or the grid. A lamella may be excavated from the thus formed sample material, to be studied in a TEM, or the vitrified sample material may be directly observed in a SEM. In an embodiment, the material may be sprayed on a cryogenic liquid, to be scooped from the liquid and placed on a grid.