Light Microscopes and Accessories

We now offer the new SPI Supplies® brand of stereo microscopes. Does the world need another brand of stereo microscope? Perhaps not, but in this case, we know the world does need a brand of more reasonably priced stereo microscopes. Therefore the reason for the new family of high quality yet inexpensive light microscopes from SPI Supplies SPI Supplies brings to our customers the very best optical products from several different manufacturing sources. The PEAK® name is well known worldwide when it comes to inspection microscopes, reticles and magnifiers. We visit their factory in Japan often and are always impressed with their passion for detail and high quality. We also offer the SPI Supplies® brand of magnifiers and reticles. The quality here is excellent but more economically priced. The SPI Supplies brand dome magnifiers are used worldwide by those who are visually disabled or impaired. The optical quality acrylic used for these products is unsurpassed in its quality and freedom from distortion effects. The portable inspection microscopes from Graticules Ltd. are a bit more costly but anyone who has used one knows that the quality is unsurpassed and the higher price is more than justified for those applications requiring critical measurements. For those doing UV microscopy, the quality of the SPI Supplies brand of quartz slides and cover slips is recognized as the standard of the world. No one makes slides and cover slips with a flatness beyond that which is the standard SPI Supplies specification for flatness.

 

Liquid Nitrogen Dewars

These Dewars are designed for storing and dispensing small quantities of liquid nitrogen. Easy to operate, the snap on cap and necktube core assure positive closure and easy access without unnecessary exposures to the cryogen. Constructed from materials of the highest performance and quality including an aluminum exterior, these containers are not only rugged, robust, and dependable, but also have very high thermal efficiencies. When using liquid nitrogen, be sure to use the highest quality cryo-gloves that can be found anywhere. And for those wanting to keep prepared in the event of a surprise visit by the safety committee, don't forget the often overlooked fact that there is an MSDS for liquid nitrogen. While liquid nitrogen is often times belittled in terms of its real hazards, no mistake should be made about it, one can sustain very serious injuries if not handled properly. Before using any dewar, be it purchased from SPI Supplies or elsewhere, make sure you are familiar with the guidelines and recommendations for safe handling. We also call particular attention to the unique liquid nitrogen withdrawal devices available as an accessory item.

 

 

Precision Spin Coater, Model KW-4A

For precise and uniform deposition of thin films and coatings.

SPI Supplies is pleased to offer the Model KW-4A spin coater. It is economically price, compact and easy to use. The unit is optimized to produce precise and uniform depositions of thin films and coatings. Its rugged, vibration-free and portable design makes it a versatile tool for any high quality research facility.

Two stage spin process.

This approach allows dispensing at low speeds and homogenizing the coating at high speed. The KW-4A spin coater can be used to deposit metal oxide thin films, polymer coatings, and organic thin films on a wide variety of substrates as well as the novel SPI Supplies Silicon Nitride Membrane Windows which are now available in a spin-coatable form, Multi-Frame Arrays. The higher the spin speed, the thinner the final spun coating will be.

Other potentially useful information:

The largest substrate, theoretically, would be a 9" (229 mm) diagonal measurement. Normally, the largest standard size chuck for the KW-4A is 6" (152 mm). Above that size, we have normally offered semi-custom or custom spin coaters. Some space must be allowed between the wall of the bowl and the substrate to avoid splashback, this being the reason for the maximum size being less than the maximum bowl diameter. A second reason has to do with the size of the motor and the need for a larger motor for wafer sizes greater than 6". However if one is working with a thinner-than-normal wafer, for example, one of the ultra thin wafers, then it can be possible to stretch the unit to its limits and coat an 8" wafer. However, one would need a specially fabricated 8" chuck. Note however that we do not want to be in the position of guaranteeing that an 8" wafer could be coated in all instances. If you do not want to carry the burden of this risk yourself, then please do not order this unit for 8" wafers.

 

SPI-DRY™ Critical Point Dryers

The most widely installed CPD unit in the world! Introduction to the technique of critical point drying:

The technique of critical point drying is not new; it has been around for some number of years and certainly has been a part of the light and electron microscopy and microanalysis field since around 1970 when it became clear that the air drying of many types of samples, primarily biological, but not solely, would produce intolerable drying artifacts. For many years, the conventional wisdom of the field was that the exchange of liquids should be done without agitation, and without turbulence, and that laminar flow of the exchange liquids while in the chamber was the most desirable. And because a critical point dryer, in essence, is a "pressure bomb", there is, and correctly so, a great concern about safety and many have felt more comfortable with a system that was not electrically heated (and had the potential for overheating) and was heated only with warm water, thereby limiting the kind of situation that could exist to an over pressurization of the pressure chamber. And with the passage of time, there has emerged a new body of end users who believe that sometimes agitation is "good" for the samples and there has emerged designs of chambers that permit gentle agitation during the exchanging of the fluids. However, we still are "old fashioned" when it comes to the agitation of fragile samples; there is just too much possibility for the disappearance of fine structures when the exchange of liquids is not done under laminar flow conditions.

 

 

SPI-Dry Desiccator Cabinets

The desiccating cabinets have all been designed for keeping an already dry sample dry and none have been designed for drying a wet sample. The desiccating cabinets operate with a desiccating material which attracts any low levels of moisture that have leaked into the cabinet or perhaps has been admitted by intermittent opening and closing of the cabinet door. Once the moisture absorbing ability of the desiccant has been used up, it has to be either replaced or regenerated. If "wet" samples were put into one of these cabinets, the desiccant's ability to dry would be quickly overwhelmed with the high level of moisture present, therefore this would not be a practical way to dry a wet sample. Another alternative to a desiccant is the SPI-Dry™ Basic Desiccating Canisters which has greater capacity than the capsules.

A note of caution:

Only the Space Saver™ Vacuum Desiccators and the SPI-Dry™ Inert Atmosphere Sample Preserver Capsule have been designed for operation under vacuum. The other desiccator products have been designed for use at atmospheric pressure and it would present quite a safety danger if one tried to operate one of them under vacuum.

 

 

Automated Tissue Processors

Select from these outstanding made-in-USA tissue processors

Introduction: Tissue processors have been around for some years, but only in recent years, with the advances in manufacturing as well as electronic technology, has there been the kinds of advances that have opened up the applications in a wide range of new laboratory settings. For any laboratory processing large numbers of samples such systems are absolutely necessary and because of the value of everyone's time, the automated features are indispensable. Available products: SPI Supplies offers two different automated tissue processing systems, one being a "conventional" tissue processor system and the other being an automated microwave tissue processor system. The former handles smaller size samples, those normally associated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) but for those doing light microscopy and histology type work, if working with smaller size samples, this system will work quite fine. The microwave tissue processor which will do the tissue infiltration and processing, will also polymerize the processed samples to the desired state of hardness .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ultrasonic Cleaners

SPI Supplies features ultrasonic cleaners manufactured by L & R Manufacturing, a very large and highly respected manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaners. Nothing of course, "lasts forever", but these units do come close ! The family of units covers the range of volumes needed most often in a microscopy laboratory environment. Cleaning Aids: We are often times asked about a "recommended" cleaning aid. This is a question not easily answered. For one thing, as an overall comment, if it is possible, try to avoid using solvents like acetone, in part because of the flammability hazard, and also, because of the toxicological issue, that is, one should not be breathing acetone vapors. Hence, if a true solvent is to be used, then we recommend the cleaner be used only in a working chemical fume hood, something, unfortunately, not always readily available in today's modern microscopy laboratories. But when the material to be removed does not require such aggressive solvents, we would recommend as a far better choice either Liquinox® Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent or Optical Cleaning Solution. Some find one product, in their specific circumstances to be "better" than the other. We ourselves offer no recommendation, both are good cleaning solvents in an ultrasonic environment. But sometimes a higher solvency liquid is indeed required, such as acetone.

 

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) Supplies

We feature the SPI Supplies® Brand of scanning probe microscope (SPM) supplies and consumables AFM and STM Supplies and Consumables: For many years, SPI Supplies has been the premier source for those hard-to-find supplies and consumables used in all AFM, STM, and laboratories utilizing other scanning probe microscope techniques. Users of SPM equipment learned early on that many of the same supplies and other items needed for mounting and manipulating samples for electron microscopy were also the ideal solution for similar problems involving samples being examined by one of the scanning probe methods. So whether your are using an atomic force microscope, or scanning tunneling microscope, or some other form of scanning probe microscopy, you will find all that you need right here in one place! Special mention about probe tips: SPI Supplies offers the top of the line AFM probe tips but for reasonable prices. They are produced in "Silicon Valley" in California and just like the superb fine wines for which California is also famous, and the production techniques reflect the very latest cutting edge methods that are used in the famous chip manufacturing facilities, literally, just down the street. We have not tried to produce the very cheapest probe tips (for sure there are cheaper probe tips that can be purchased) but one would be hard pressed to find probe tips of this quality. And the difference in price between the ones offered by SPI Supplies and the very cheapest is truly not very much. Our customer typically comment about how pleased they are that they get such a high percent of "useable" tips, often times, 100%. This has not been their experience generally with our vendor choices. We will be adding other probe tips, but all will be USA manufactured, using the very latest production technology and generally not readily available elsewhere. Watch these pages as we expand this part of our product line. We are very proud of the unique characteristics of these Made-in-USA products that are not found in the products from other sources. We know this list is not all-inclusive, it is still growing. Let us know what you would like to see on next on this page and hopefully before the passing of too much time, your wish could come true........ For picking up small samples, you can rely on the extensive selection of high quality and high precision tweezers made exclusively in Switzerland.

Calibration Samples SPM Calibrator™ Standard for Magnification Calibration .

 

Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) for Lattice Imaging of a Known Dimension

 

 

Adhesive Discs Conductive Carbon

Filled Non-Conductive for AFM applications

 

Consumables for AFM, STM, and Other SPM Techniques

Gslassy Carbon Subtrates

 

 

Gold (111) atomically flat substrates for research and calibration for AFM and STM applications.

 

Gold coated silicon chip substrates.

 

 

HOPG (Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite) Substrate Materials.

 

 

MoS2(Molybdenum disulfide) SPI Supplies.

 

 

Mounting Discs for AFM

 

 

Platinum/Iridium Wire, 8 mils (0.20 mm)

 

 

SPI Supplies® Brand High Quality Mica Substrate Material

 

SPI Supplies® Brand Silicon Chips (Die) Sample Substrates