Microscopes at LCI

The Live Cell Imaging Core Facility offers high-end microscopes allowing researchers to perform the following microscopy modalities:

Below are the details for each microscope.

Tweety

This system can be used as 

  • Multipoint spinning disk confocal
  • Widefield
  • Micropatterning (printing proteins on a dish) and micromanufacturing (making microwells)

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2 inverted and fully motorized microscope stand with up to 32 mm FOV
  • Crest Optics X-Light V3 spinning disk (50 um pinholes with 250 um interval)
  • Full size incubator for life cell imaging
  • Fast piezo z drive 100 um
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • Kinetix sCMOS camera over 95% QE, 6.5 um pixels for best resolution
  • Alvéole Primo micropatterning and micromanufacturing device

Filters for both Widefield and Spinning disk side

Tweety widefield and spinning disk: Semrock searchlight

  • Lasers (nm):
    • 405, 446, 477, 520, 546, 638, 749
  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 441/30; 511/26; 593/37; 684/34; 817/66
    • 484/22; 561/30
    • 562LP
  • Emission filters (nm):
    • 438/24
    • 484/22; 561/30
    • 515/30
    • 562/40
    • 593/40
    • 685/40
    • 561LP
    • 809/81

Pegasus

This system can be used as

  • Single point scanning confocal with resonant scanner for fast imaging and spectral detector for channel unmixing
  • Wide field with colour, monochrome, and polarized light imaging

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2-E inverted and fully motorized microscope stand
  • Stage top incubator
  • Fast piezo z drive (100 um range)
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • 2x tunable GaAsP detectors (400-750 nm)
  • 1 Multi Alkali PMT detector (blue)
  • 1 Extended Red GaAsP detector (Far Red, NiR)
  • Digital Sight 10 CMOS colour camera from Nikon, 25 mm FOV, 5.97 pixel size and a built-in 1.8x lens

Lasers and dichroic mirrors to Ax confocal

  • Lasers (nm):
    • 405; 488; 561; 638, 730
  • First dichroic mirror:
    • 405/488/561/640/730
    • 405/488/561/640
    • BS20/80 (400-750)

Filter cubes to Ax confocal detectors

  • Multi Alkali PMT detector:
    • Cube1: DM: 495LP; Em: 452/45
    • Cube2: DM: 550/300, 750LP; Em: 445/50, 675/30
  • Extended Red GaAsP detector:
    • Cube1: DM: 640SP; Em: 700/75
    • Cube2: DM: 724SP; Em: 740LP

Pegasus: filters and lasers setup on Semrock Searchlight

Dragon

This system can be used as

  • Single point scanning confocal with resonant scanner for fast imaging and spectral detector for channel unmixing
  • NSPARC super-resolution (100 nm)

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2-E inverted and fully motorized microscope stand
  • Stage top incubator
  • Fast piezo z drive (100 um range)
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • 2x tunable GaAsP detectors (400-750 nm)
  • 1 Multi Alkali PMT detector (blue)
  • 1 Extended Red GaAsP detector (Far Red, NiR)

Filters, lasers and dichroic mirrors AX confocal

  • Lasers (nm):
    • 405; 445; 488; 514; 561; 638, 730
  • First dichroic mirror:
    • 405/488/561/640/730
    • 405/488/561/640
    • 405/445/515/561/640
    • BS20/80 (400-750)
    • 445/515/561

Dragon AX: filters and lasers setup on the Semrock Searchlight.

Filter cubes specific to Ax confocal detectors

  • Multi Alkali PMT detector:
    • Cube1: DM: 495LP; Em: 452/45
    • Cube2: DM: 550/300, 750LP; Em: 445/50, 675/30
    • Cube3: DM: 515/LP; Em: 482/35
  • Extended Red GaAsP detector:
    • Cube1: DM: 640SP; Em: 700/75
    • Cube2: DM: 724SP; Em: 740LP

Emission filters specific to NSPARC detector

  • Quad: 446/33; 524/42; 600/36; 677/28
  • Single bands: 452/45; 482/35; 525/50; 540/30; 593/46; 700/75; 750LP

Dragon AX-NSPARC: filters and lasers setup on the Semrock Searchlight.

Orion

Photo: LCI facility

This system can be used as

  • Multipoint spinning disk confocal
  • Widefield
  • Super resolution - DeepSIM

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2 inverted and fully motorized microscope stand
  • Crest Optics X-Light V3 spinning disk (50 um pinholes with 250 um interval)
  • Super resolution (DeepSIM) ( approximately 100 nm resolution in xy and approximately 300nm resolution in z (60x or100x oil objective); 1024x1024 FOV
  • Fast piezo z drive 600 um
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • Camera from Photometrics,  Kinetix sCMOS, over 95% QE, 6.5 um for best resolution

Filters, lasers and dichroic mirrors

Orion spinning disk/widefield/DeepSIM Semrock searchlight

  • Lasers (nm):
    • 405, 446, 477,  518, 545, 637, 748
  • Dichroic mirror (nm):
    • 441/30; 511/26; 592/37; 684/34; 817/66
    • 485/22; 561/30 (Dual)
  • Emission filters (nm):
    • 438/24
    • 484/22
    • 515/30
    • 562/40
    • 593/40
    • 685/40
    • 809/81 

Victor

Widefield and multipoint confocal - Victor

This system can be used as

  • Multipoint spinning disk confocal
  • Widefield
  • TIRF

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2 inverted and fully motorized microscope stand
  • Full size incubator for life cell imaging
  • Fast piezo z drive 250 um
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • Widefield:
    • Andor camera Zyla 4.2+. 82% QE, 100 fps at 2048x2048 pixels. Pixel size 6.45 um
    • External filter wheel and SpectraX LED for fast imaging
  • Spinning disk: Kinetix sCMOS, over 95% QE, 6.5 um pixel size
    • Spinning disk Yokagawa CSU-X1, 10,000 rpm
    • 1.2x built-in extra magnification lens in the spinning disk

Filters on the spinning disk confocal side

Victor multipoint confocal: Semrock searchlight

  • Lasers (nm):
    • 405, 488; 561; 640
  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 402/15; 487/10; 564/7;  639/22 (excitation transmitted)
  • Emission filters (single band) (nm):
    • 447/60
    • 525/30  
    • 607/36
    • 685/40
  • Emission filters (dual band) (nm):
    • 512/30; 630/100
  • Emission filters (triple band) (nm):
    • 525 600 690 

Filters on the widefield side

Victor widefield: Semrock searchlight

  • Excitation filters (nm):
    • 395/25, 440/20; 475/28; 510/25; 550/15; 575/25; 631/28
  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 452/55; 529/52; 604/48; 675LP (emission transmitted)
  • Dichroic mirror (nm) (FRET):
    • 458LP (emission)
  • Emission filters (single bands) (nm):
    • 447/60
    • 483/32
    • 500LP
    • 525/30
    • 542/27
    • 572/15
    • 607/36
    • 624/40
    • 630/92
    • 685/40 

Aurora

This system can be used as

  • Light sheet microscope

Equipment specifications

  • Upright
  • Full size incubator for life cell imaging
  • Fully motorized including xy scanning size of a multiwell plate
  • z fast beam scanning 900 um, additional stage scanning 1 cm
  • No shadowing effect thanks to the self-healing Airy beam
  • < 1um xy and z resolution with a field of view of 870x870 um
  • Tiling/stitching, multiple sample or regions
  • Dedicated deconvolution software running on GPU power
  • 2  Hamamatsu Orca Flash cameras 4 V.3, 82% QE, 100 fps at 2048x2048 pixels. Pixel size 6.45 um
  • Objective: Navitar multi-immersion: 15.3x – 17.9x; NA 0.37-0.43.
  • Refraction index: 1.33-1.56 without changing objectives
  • All immersion media can be used for imaging
  • Working distance 12mm

How to calculate the objective NA and magnification

  • NA=0.276xRI
  • Mag=11.494xRI
  • WD = constant for all RI

Lasers (mW)

  • 405 nm(60 mW); 457 nm(100 mW); 488 nm(100 mW); 515 nm(100 mW); 561 nm(80 mW); 642 nm(140 mW); 685 nm(50 mW)

Filters

Aurora light sheet: Semrock searchlight

  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 510 LP and 560 LP
  • Emission filters (single bands) (nm):
    • 445/50
    • 480/30
    • 525/50
    • 535/30
    • 590LP
    • 605/52
    • 665LP
    • 667/30
    • 700LP (nm)

A powerful server is available for fast transfer/storage/deconvolution/stitching/analysis.

Minerva

  • This system can be used as

  • Widefield
  • Slide scanner
  • Laser microdissection
    • Laser microdissection of tissue samples
    • Selective Isolation of living Cells for Omics Analysis
    • Isolation of rare or single cells for further cultivation

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon Ti2 inverted and fully motorized microscope stand
  • High content screening JOBS module
  • Smart Microscopy workflows using JOBS
  • MMI VCXU23c colour camera, 5.86 μm pixel size
  • MMI CellCut 

Filters for widefield

Minerva widefield: Semrock searchlight

  • Excitation filters (nm):
    • 365/10; 470/40; 544/25; 628/40
  • Dichroic mirrors: 400LP (nm);
    • 495LP; 565LP; 660LP
  • Emission filters (nm):
    • 460/50; 515/30; 605/70; 692/40 

Iris

Nikon manual microsocpe

This system can be used as: 

  • Widefield

Equipment specifications

  • Nikon ECLIPSE E1000
  • Manual, upright
  • Nikon DS-Fi2 color camera, 2560x1920 pixel, pixel size 6.5 um
  • Available objectives: 1x air (NA 0.04), 10x air (0.45), 20x air (0.75), 40x (0,95)

Fluorescent Light source: 

  • Nikon Mercury lamp

Filters for Widefield 

  • Excitation filters (nm):  
    • 360/40;  480/30); 546/10
  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 400LP; 505LP; 575LP
  • Emission filters (nm): 
    • 450/50; 535/40; 590LP

Theia

Olympus manual microsocpe
Nikon manual microsocpe Photo: Jianjiang Hu

This system can be used as: 

  • Widefield

Equipment specifications

  • Olympus IX71
  • Manual, inverted
  • Hamamatsu C4742-80-12AG monocolor cooled camera (-30 degree), 1344x1024 pixel, pixel size 6.45 um
  • Available objectives: 10x air (0.25), 20x air (0.4), 40x (0,75)

Fluorescent Light source: 

  • X-Cite 120

Filters for Widefield 

  • Excitation filters (nm):  
    • 350/50;  480/40); 565/30; 620/60
  • Dichroic mirrors (nm):
    • 400LP; 505LP; 575LP
  • Emission filters (nm): 
    • 460/50; 535/40; 624/40; 700/75
Content reviewer:
07-10-2025