A method of examining selected areas of surfaces using replicas and the electron microscope

A simple method has been devised for examining selected areas of surfaces using wet-stripped replicas. The selected area of the surface is identified by fine scratches in the immediate vicinity. The corresponding portion of a replica is mounted over a 0.015 in, diameter hole in a copper disk and viewed in an electron microscope operating with a specimen screening aperture. The method has several advantages over methods hitherto used, e.g. it has extremely wide application as it does not depend on surface structure for identification, the positioning of the replica on the copper disk is rapid and can be correctly performed each time, and an uninterrupted area of 0.015 in, diameter can be observed.