Cadmium telluride has become increasingly important in a number of technological applications, particularly in the area of laser-optical components and solid state devices, Microstructural characterizations of the material have in the past been somewhat limited because of the lack of suitable sample preparation and thinning techniques. Utilizing a modified jet thinning apparatus and a potassium dichromate-sulfuric acid thinning solution, a procedure has now been developed for obtaining thin contamination-free samples for TEM examination.