Microscopy Suite Equipment

Please be aware that the ITG staff cannot respond to questions about particular pieces of equipment or software packages unless those questions are related to research conducted in the ITG laboratories. The ITG does not sell, lease, or distribute equipment or software, save that clearly marked as developed by the ITG.

The tables below list the major microscopes, ancillary equipment, and facilities available to users of the Microscopy Suite. For detailed information on each piece of equipment, please follow the hyperlinks.

The tables are divided into three categories, the relevant section of this page can be reached through the hyperlink:

Please contact The Microscopy Suite to inquire about existing equipment or to make suggestions for additional upgrades or equipment purchases. 

Microscopes

Name / Description Calendar
Dissecting Light Microscope (Stereoscope) Dissecting
Zeiss SV11 stereomicroscope, Hg lamp for low-magnification fluorescence, epi-fluorescent illumination, PixeLink digital camera.
Fluorescence Light Microscope Fluorescence 
Fluorescence, phase contrast, high NA DIC.  Zeiss Axiovision software facilitates image collection.  B/W EMCCD & color CCD cameras,  Zeiss Apotome structured illumination system, mark & find, time-lapse, z-stacking, stage heater, motorized stage & automated shutters to minimize light exposure.
Reflected Light Microscope Reflected Light
Configured for reflected & transmitted light, fluorescence, phase contrast. Equipped with cooled color CCD camera using Open Lab software, Flir Alpha NIR camera with IRVista software. Spectral detectors covering Visible 400-900 nm & NIR IR 1000 -1700 nm using Spec32 software. The scope can also be fitted with laser tweezers and microinjector for live cell imaging & a stage heater.
Stereology Workstation Stereology
StereoInvestigator and Neurolucida software.  Trace and analyze branching structures, plot and analyze distribution of cells throughout single or serial sections. System includes all modern stereological probes for unbiased measurements.  Zeiss AxioImager A1 light microscope, Optronincs MicroFire Progressive Scan, motorized stage, stereological analysis tools.
Leica SP2 MultiPhoton Confocal Microscope Leica SP2 #1
350, 458, 476, 488, 514, 543 & 633nm laser lines plus Ti:Sapphire laser, motorized stage.   
Leica SP2 Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope Leica SP2 #2
458, 476, 488, 514, 543 & 633nm laser lines, motorized stage, mark & find, Tiling.
Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope ESEM
ESEM with field-emission electron gun, EDAX energy-dispersive spectroscopy (light-element capability), Peltier-effect heating/cooling stage, 1000o and 1500oC heating stages, Everhart-Thornley secondary electron detector (SED), three gaseous SEDs (GSEDs; for imaging in 'wet' mode), backscattered electron detectors, S-VHS recorder, electrical feedthroughs, bug-on-a-spit device, micromanipulator/microinjector, plus other options.
Transmission Electron Microscope TEM
Philips CM200 operates at accelerating voltages of up to 200 kV.  Images acquired to film or digitally, using a TVIPS 2k x 2k Peltier-cooled CCD camera. Philips Compustage for precise control of specimen holder/specimen movement, low-dose kit, Gatan cryo specimen holder for frozen specimens, high tilt holder, rotation stage holder. 
Atomic Force Microscope (MultiMode AFM) AFM
Digital Instruments Nanoscope IIIa, capable of contact, tapping, magnetic force, electric force, phase imaging, and pulsed force modes; contact and non-contact; scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) head; J-scanner with x,y range of 125 microns and vertical range of 5 microns; A-scanner with x,y range of 1 micron and vertical range of 400 nm; analyses may be performed in air or liquid cell
Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopes NSOM
Transmission, reflection, and collection NSOM.  Digital Instruments controller, closed loop x,y stage, inverted Zeiss microscope, Specs 500M monochromator with a Photometrix CCD for spectroscopy.

Ancillary Equipment

Name / Description Calendar
AccuSizer FX Particle Sizer AccuSizer
Focused extinction system for the determination of complex multimodal particle size distributions between 0.7 and 20 microns
Carbon Evaporator Evaporator
High-vacuum turbo-pumped Denton evaporator with capacity for carbon thread, carbon rod, resistive metal evaporation, dual evaporation mode.
Critical Point Dryer Critical Point Dryer
Dual Source Metal Evaporator Metal Evaporator
Fiber Puller Fiber Puller
Laser controlled instrument for pulling glass fibers to very fine tips; used primarily for NSOM
NICOMP 380 ZLS Particle Sizer NICOMP 380ZLS
Dynamic light scattering instrument for determining the particle size distribution of particles in a liquid.
Sputter Coater Sputter Coater
Turbo-pumped sputter coater with rotating/tilting stage, film thickness monitor; various targets, including Au, Au/Pd, Pt, Al, Ti
Ultramicrotome Ultramicrotome
Multi-illumination of the pyramid and knife edge, dual automatic advance system, control unit with cutting speed control, memory for five combinations of advance/cutting speed settings, return speed and cutting window settings.

Facilities

    

Name / Description Calendar
Printing Darkroom Printing Dark Room
Ilford automatic print processor; Durst and Beseler enlargers for large and small format negatives, respectively; 35-mm film processing materials
Developing Darkroom Developing Dark Room
Nitrogen burst development of Kodak SO-163 TEM film
Wet Lab N/A
Bench space, fume hood, some chemicals and solvents, plus carbon evaporator (Denton DV-502A), pH meter, dissecting scope, fiber puller, laminar flow hood, microbalance, portable glow discharge system (Denton DPG-1), reverse osmosis water purification system (Millipore), sonicator, sputter coater (Denton Desk-1 TSC)
Library N/A
Miscellaneous books, TEM calibration kit, Ronki Rulings, loupes, diamond knives, micrometers, LM calibration slides.