An improved method for the production of ultralarge flat and patterned gold surfaces for use in scanning probe studies using a procedure based on epitaxial gold growth on mica is described. The approach is superior in terms of simplicity and reliability without any loss of substrate quality. The gold surface is glued onto an aluminum stub with two part ceramic or polyester glue. The mica is removed by immersing the sample in liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen causes differential contraction of the mica and gold resulting in clean separation to leave large atomically flat planes or patterned features.