Zeiss Spinning Disk

Brief description:

This Nipkow spinning disk setup is meant to be used for fast confocal life cell imaging. It's equipped with an incubator for temperature and CO₂. Its Z-resolution doesn't reach the one of the point scanning confocals but it is capable for much higher aquisition speeds. It is equipped with an objective coupled piezo stepper, a motorized piezo X-Y stage (ASI MS-2000) and filter combinations for fast multicolor acquisition. It has also a hardware autofocus system (Zeiss Definite Focus). Two EM-CCD cameras allow for high sensitive and simultaneous acquisition of combinations of

• blue and green,
• green and red 
• green and far red and
• red and far red fluorophores

In addition, it is equipped with a point scanner for FRAP and a ring TIRF device.

Microscope:

• Zeiss Axio Observer Z1 (inverse)

Contrast Methods:

• Brightfield, DIC, Spinning Disk Confocal Fluorescence (ring TIRF, FRAP)

Ilumination (visual):

• HXP 120 W mercury short arc bulb

Ilumination (LASER):

• DPSS 405 nm 120 mW
• DPSS 445 nm 100 mW
• DPSS 488 nm 200 mW
• DPSS 515 nm 100 mW
• Diode 561 nm, 200 mW
• 640 nm, 150 mW

Objectives:

• 10x 0.3NA EC "Plan Neofluar" M27
• 40x 1.2NA Water, "C-Apochromat" M27
• 63x 1.2NA Water, "C-Apochromat" M27
• 100x 1.46 Oil, "alpha Plan Apochromat" M27 NA Korr Ph2 LD Plan NeoFluar

Camera / detectors:

• 2x Photometrics Evolve 512 (Back-illuminated EM-CCD, 512 x 512 pixels, pixel size 16 μm x 16 μm)

Incubation:

• The system is equipped with an full box type incubation including stage incubation and CO₂ gassing (Pecon). So far it can handle 35 mm dishes and LabTek chambered coverglasses, other formats are possible.

Software:

• VisiVIEW ("Metamorph") including Scan Slide, Multiwell Scanning, FRAP and TIRF

Fluorescence settings reflector turret:
(only for visual inspection)