Patent ID: 9211542
Filing Date: 2015-12-15
Classification: B05D,H01J

Abstract:
1. A method of sample preparation comprising: providing a sample support plate comprising a substrate with a substantially flat surface, a plurality of spatially separated sample recipient sites being arranged on said surface, said sample recipient sites being mutually separated by areas that have a different wettability than said sample recipient sites, the sample recipient sites being arranged in a plurality of rows, each row consisting of a plurality of sample recipient sites whose centers are regularly spaced along a first direction with a predetermined periodicity, the rows being regularly spaced along a second direction perpendicular to said first direction with a predetermined centerline distance, each sample recipient site having a minimum lateral dimension and a maximum lateral dimension, the maximum lateral dimension being less than or equal to 200 μm, the periodicity along the first direction and the centerline distance along the second direction being such that each sample recipient site has a next-neighbor recipient site within an edge distance that is less than or equal to three times said minimum lateral dimension; distributing a bulk liquid containing the sample onto said sample support plate in such a manner that the bulk liquid, after it has been distributed onto the sample support plate, splits into discrete droplets located at the sample recipient sites.