EQUIPMENT
FEI Tecnai G2 20 Transmission Electron Microscope
The Tecnai G2 20 is a 200 KV LaB6 filament (S)TEM. It has a Fischione HAADF detector for STEM, an Oxford Instruments X-MAX SDD EDX detector.
There is software (FEI and SerialEM) for automated electron tomography together with a Fischione 2020 high tilt holder. The CCD camera is a bottom mount Gatan US1000 2Kx2K.
The microscope has a Lorentz lens for imaging magnetic samples.
FEI/Philips CM-100 Transmission Electron MicroscopeFEI/Philips CM-100 Transmission Electron Microscope
The CM-100 is a basic TEM and has a magnification range from 20x to 510,000 and accelerating voltage from 40 to 100kV.Special Features:
Low-dose for automatic shift to new area after focusing or focusing on same are but with low beam intensity to minimize beam damage prior to recording.
Specimen relocation system. Gatan Orius side mount CCD camera
FEI NOVA nanoSEM Field Emission SEM
Major Features of this high-resolution instrument are:High vacuum imaging
- Everhart Thornley detector (ETD): routine imaging
- Through-the-Lens detector (TLD): high magnification/resolution
Low vacuum imaging:
- Low vacuum detector (LVD)-lower magnifications
- Helix detector (Helix)-high magnification/resolution
Back-scattering imaging using the Gaseous Analytical Detector (GAD)
- High vacuum and low vacuum
STEM detector:
For very thin samples and high vacuum only Cryo imaging utilizing the GATAN Alto 2500 cryo system Elemental Analysis utilizing Electron Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX)
- Oxford INCA Energy 250 system with 30mm window
FEI Quanta 3D FEG Dual-beam SEM
Major Features:
Dual-beam instrument having both an electron beam and a gallium ion beam. The electron beam is used for imaging and the gallium beam is used for site specific milling, machining and deposition.
High Vacuum imaging
- Everhart-Thornley Detector (ETD)
Low vacuum imaging
- Permanently installed low vacuum detector (LVD)
True environmental imaging: to 100% humidity in sample chamber
- 500µm gaseous secondary electron detector (GSED)
- 1000µm gaseous secondary electron detector (GSED)
- Peltier stage for heating and cooling
Elemental Analysis utilizing Electron Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX)
- Oxford INCA Xstream-2 silicon drift detector with Xmax80 window
Cryo imaging utilizing the GATAN Alto 2500 cryo system
GATAN Low Force tensile stage:
- 200, 20, and 2-newton load cells
- Tension or compression/peltier cooling & heating
- Incorporated cryo holder for transfer to cryo chamber without release of tension for cryo dual-beam ablation/imaging
GATAN Alto 2500 Cryo Units
The cryo systems on the NOVA nanoSEM and the Quanta 3D FEG microscopes are optomized for use on field-emission microscopes. They consist of a freezing unit, a turbo-pumped cryo preparation unit, and a cryo stage that attaches to the microscope stage. The cryo system permits flash freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen slush followed by high vacuum sublimation of unbound water, Pt coating to minimize charge build-up and imaging at temperatures down to ~160C.
Wohlwend Compact HPF-01 High Pressure Freezer
High-pressure freezing allows for cryo-fixation of biological samples, up to 200µm thickness, from a defined physiological state without prefixation and often without cryo-protectants. This high pressure freezer, designed by M. Wohlwend GmbH, utilizes liquid nitrogen and high pressure to depress the freezing point of water during the actual freezing process. This results in the formation of vitreous ice that minimizes ice crystal damage to delicate structures during the freezing process.
Leica AFS2 Freeze Substitution Unit
Leica EM AFS2 is capable of freeze substitution and progressive lowering of temperature ( PLT ) techniques as well as allowing low temperature embedding and polymerization of resins. It is fully programmable for multiple users. Nitrogen filling from outside the chamber allows filing during a substitution cycle if necessary.
- Cressington High Vacuum Evaporator for carbon/metal evaporation
- Pelco Oven for Microwave fixation
- Pelco easiSlicer Vibratome
- Reichert Ultracut E ultramicrotomes one with cryostage

Pelco Easiglow
Cressington turbo-pumped sputter coater
Tousimis 931 CPD