Clouds created from a plum of droplets containing a sample can be focused into a stream of particles with an aerodynamic lens stack.

The lens stack for the droplet method ends in a vacuum system, requiring a pressure gradient from the atmosphere, where the droplet plume is generated down to the interaction point.

As the droplets migrate and are focused through a series of diaphragms (lenses), they also start to dehydrate. If tuned properly, there will be a stream of dehydrated particles focused down to dozens of microns at the interaction point. This method is most typically associated with single-particle imaging (SPI) initiative experiments.

Ideally, if a sample-containing droplet could be generated and placed right into the interaction point, it would be the ideal delivery method to maximize the XFEL's pulse structure and minimize the sample wasted between pulses.

Piezoelectric droplet generators, like commercial inkjet printers, have been used in atmospheric experiments. These droplet generation devices are extremely sensitive to the fluid properties of the ejecting slurry (e.g., surface tension, viscosity, suspended particle size).

For non-vacuum experimental geometries, the droplet method has been demonstrated via stroboscopic imaging. Fuller et al. have developed a combined approach where droplets are ejected onto a fixed-target-like tape system.

The tape acts as a conveyor belt, allowing droplet spacing and controlling the speed of the tape to give known time delays for excitement and probe experiments (e.g., photosensitive systems for laser-excited pump-probe experiments and ambient-sensitive systems where ambient gases or ambient conditions can activate sample changes).

Although the tape in the delivery system is not directly in the interaction point, it can still produce background signals.

Pros and Cons of Droplets