Apparatus and method for manipulating a microscopic sample

A charged particle microscope, comprising:

• a sample holder for holding a sample;
• a sample manipulation system comprising:
• a carrier defining a passageway;
• a wire slidably supported and at least partially housed by the carrier, the wire including a supported portion and a protruding portion, wherein the supported portion is disposed in the passageway and the protruding portion extends from the carrier for engaging the sample;
• and
• a feed mechanism including a first actuator configured to drive the wire along the passageway;
• a second actuator coupled to the sample manipulation system;
• at least one detector;
• and
• a controller including a processor and a non-transitory memory for storing computer readable instructions, by executing the instructions in the processor, the charged particle microscope is configured to:
• acquire, via the detector, an image;
• adjust, via the first actuator, a length of a protruding portion of the wire from the carrier based on the acquired image;
• and
• adjust, via the second actuator, a relative position between a sample and a distal end of the wire.