Patent ID: 8796646

Claim:
A method of depositing a material onto a substrate at a selected cryogenic temperature in which the sample substrate is a vitrified biological sample and the selected cryogenic temperature is lower than −130° C., the method comprising: freeing a sample from the substrate using an ion beam; moving a microprobe into contact with the sample; directing a precursor gas toward the sample and irradiating the sample with a particle beam in the presence of the precursor gas to attach the sample to the microprobe; lifting the microprobe with attached sample away from the substrate; moving the microprobe so that the sample is in contact with a selected position on a sample holder; directing the precursor gas toward the sample and irradiating the sample with a particle beam in the presence of the precursor gas to attach the sample to the microprobe; separating the microprobe from the sample; and maintaining the sample at a temperature of −130° C. while the preceding steps are performed.