In Situ TEM Cooling, Biasing & Heating
Perform cooling, heating and biasing all in one system. Set intermediate temperatures anywhere between -160 °C to 800 °C while biasing your sample.
In Situ TEM Cooling, Biasing & Heating
A true innovation that can perform cooling, heating and biasing all in one system. Set intermediate temperatures anywhere between -160 °C to 800 °C while biasing your sample.
Application Fields
Lightning Arctic Workflow & Benefits
Ferroelectric materials
Magnetic materials
Quantum materials
Lightning Arctic Capabilities
Unlock new possibilities for your in situ experiments.
1) Perform in situ cooling and heating TEM experiments
A cooling rod inside the Lightning Arctic holder can transfer the ‘cold’ towards the tip of the holder where the MEMS-based Nano-Chip holding the sample is located. Once this cooling rod is connected to a metal cooling braid that is immersed in a liquid nitrogen dewar, the sample can be cooled inside the TEM to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Aside from cooling, the Lightning Arctic holder also enables in situ heating experiments, where the temperature can reach 800 °C and even 1300 °C depending on the chip used.
1) Perform in situ cooling and heating TEM experiments
A cooling rod inside the Lightning Arctic holder can transfer the ‘cold’ towards the tip of the holder where the MEMS-based Nano-Chip holding the sample is located. Once this cooling rod is connected to a metal cooling braid that is immersed in a liquid nitrogen dewar, the sample can be cooled inside the TEM to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Aside from cooling, the Lightning Arctic holder also enables in situ heating experiments, where the temperature can reach 800 °C and even 1300 °C depending on the chip used.
2) Experience atomic imaging stability
The Lightning Arctic holder was uniquely designed to host a number of additional temperature controllers that work to stabilize the sample drift during cooling. One controller ensures the temperature equilibrium with the TEM while the other stabilizes the cold influx towards the sample. The usage of the external dewar that helps to minimize the liquid nitrogen bubbling ensures that atomic imaging with low sample drift can be achieved.
STEM video of a ferroelectric boracite FIB lamella at -170 °C taken using Lightning Arctic, showing exceptional atomic imaging stability (300 kV, alpha tilt = -2°, beta tilt = 8°) – Courtesy of Dr. Shelly Conroy, ICL.
2) Experience atomic imaging stability
The Lightning Arctic holder was uniquely designed to host a number of additional temperature controllers that work to stabilize the sample drift during cooling. One controller ensures the temperature equilibrium with the TEM while the other stabilizes the cold influx towards the sample. The usage of the external dewar that helps to minimize the liquid nitrogen bubbling ensures that atomic imaging with low sample drift can be achieved.
STEM video of a ferroelectric boracite FIB lamella at -170 °C taken using Lightning Arctic, showing exceptional atomic imaging stability (300 kV, alpha tilt = -2°, beta tilt = 8°).
TEM video showing the boundary between the sample and the Pt protection layer at different temperatures during cooling (300 kV, exposure time = 1 sec).
3) Continuous temperature control
Our state-of-the-art Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips enable the local manipulation of the temperature of the sample while not disturbing the cooling process of the holder. This means that you can achieve the fast setting of any user-defined temperature and the minimization of the image and focus shift when changing the temperature setpoint, all while ensuring atomic-scale imaging quality.
3) Continuous temperature control
Our state-of-the-art Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips enable the local manipulation of the temperature of the sample while not disturbing the cooling process of the holder. This means that you can achieve the fast setting of any user-defined temperature and the minimization of the image and focus shift when changing the temperature setpoint, all while ensuring atomic-scale imaging quality.
TEM video showing the boundary between the sample and the Pt protection layer at different temperatures during cooling (300 kV, exposure time = 1 sec).
4) Achieve your required sample orientation
The double tilt Lightning Arctic holder allows tilting the sample in both alpha and beta directions of 10 – 25 degrees to find the required zone axis of the sample.
4) Achieve your required sample orientation
The double tilt Lightning Arctic holder allows tilting the sample in both alpha and beta directions of 10 – 25 degrees to find the required zone axis of the sample.
5) Perform in situ biasing experiments while cooling/heating
The Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips compatible with the Lightning Arctic holder contain biasing electrodes that can be used to apply and measure electrical signals either during cooling or during heating. Of course, the preparation of FIB lamellas on the Nano-Chips for electrical experiments is very crucial. There are already proven methods and tools developed for the Lightning system (like the DENSsolutions FIB stub) that can be used to prepare top-quality, short-circuit-free FIB lamellas on the Heating and Biasing chips for the Lightning Arctic system.
5) Perform in situ biasing experiments while heating/cooling
The Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips compatible with the Lightning Arctic holder contain biasing electrodes that can be used to apply and measure electrical signals either during cooling or during heating. Of course, the preparation of FIB lamellas on the Nano-Chips for electrical experiments is very crucial. There are already proven methods and tools developed for the Lightning system (like the DENSsolutions FIB stub) that can be used to prepare top-quality, short-circuit-free FIB lamellas on the Heating and Biasing chips for the Lightning Arctic system.
Lightning Arctic Workflow & Benefits
Watch the full video here.
News Article
Learn more about Lightning Arctic in the article below.
Introducing Lightning Arctic: Our latest In Situ TEM Cooling, Biasing & Heating solution
An interview with DENSsolutions Senior Product Manager Dr. Gin Pivak about our latest addition to the Lightning product family: Lightning Arctic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your most common questions, answered below.
What is the lowest cooling temperature?
With Lightning Arctic it is always possible to reach a guaranteed temperature of -160 °C. The lowest temperature achievable is -175 °C.
How long does it take before imaging at cryo-EM conditions?
It takes an hour to cool the Lightning Arctic holder down to liquid nitrogen temperatures and to stabilize it to achieve atomic image stability.
How long can the holder be kept cooled?
We use an external dewar that holds about 500 ml of liquid nitrogen, which is enough to run in situ cooling experiments for at least of 4 hours without a refill.
What is the beta tilt range of the holder?
The Arctic holder’s beta tilt range depends greatly on the TEM and the pole piece gap. For Thermo Fisher Scientific microscopes, the holder can be tilted by at least 25 degrees in the S-TWIN pole piece. In the High Resolution Pole-Piece (HRP) of a JEOL microscope, the beta tilt could reach at least15 degrees. For more information on the beta tilt possibilities and other pole pieces, please contact us.
Which sample carriers can be used with the Lightning Arctic holder?
The holder is compatible with our MEMS-based Heating and Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips that enables the ability to perform cooling, heating and biasing in situ TEM experiments. Some of these chips are shared between the Lightning and the Lightning Arctic holders. In addition, the Lightning Arctic holder can be used in combination with 3 mm and lift-out TEM grids that greatly expand the sample options.
Can you set intermediate temperatures and how fast does it stabilize?
The microheater of the Heating or the Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips are used to change the sample’s temperature locally while the whole tip is being cooled. The state-of-art chip and heater design enables you to achieve the fast setting of any user-defined temperature and the minimization of the image and focus shift when changing the temperature setpoint, all while ensuring atomic-scale imaging quality. There is virtually no sample stabilization needed to get atomic image resolution imaging at intermediate temperatures when cooling.
Can the Lightning Arctic system perform heating and what is the maximum temperature?
Without the external liquid nitrogen dewar, the Lightning Arctic holder works just like the heating and biasing Lightning holder, enabling in situ heating experiments. The maximum temperature depends on the Nano-Chip being used, and for Heating and Biasing chips the temperature is limited to 800 °C.
Download the Lightning Arctic Brochure
For more information on features and specifications.
Contact us
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