Product category:
Optical microscopes
News Release from: Olympus Life Science Europa | Subject: Disk Scanning Unit
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial
Team on 11 September 2006
Cost-effective unit enables
confocal-like imaging
By removing out-of-focus light from above and below the focal plane, the Olympus Disk Scanning Unit (DSU) delivers confocal-like images with excellent contrast and resolution
By removing out-of-focus light from above and below the focal plane, particularly in specimens 20um thick, the new Olympus Disk Scanning Unit (DSU) uniquely delivers confocal-like images with excellent contrast and resolution compared to conventional wide-field microscopy To reject the out-of-focus light, the DSU places a spinning disk, with an alternating pattern of vertical and horizontal slits, in the confocal plane of the microscope
This article was originally published on Laboratorytalk on 15 Aug 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Olympus updates microscopy camera range
Olympus has updated its digital microscopy-imaging camera-range to ensure they can be matched easily to every application, from standard brightfield to advanced high speed fluorescence.
Software enables 3D and 4D texture analysis
Olympus will supply users of its Lext OLS3100 confocal laser scanning microscope (cLSM) with 3D surface texture and micro-geometry analysis software based upon Digital Surf's Mountains technology
Spinning at 3000rpm, the slit disk creates virtual pinholes which produce a similar effect to the pinholes used in confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM).
DSU slit disks feature a unique, patent-pending, design which improves resolution, contrast and Signal/Noise ratio in conventional wide-field fluorescence microscopy to provide the semi-confocal optical sectioning.
Furthermore, by using arc lamp excitation sources, the Olympus DSU offers the maximum wavelength flexibility within an economical package.
The DSU disk and optical components are all UV compatible and deliver outstanding performance from 350-700nm, making it suitable for most available fluorochromes.
The crisp, confocal-like, images with controllable depth of field produced by the DSU can also be collected as a series of optical sections (Z-stack) from specimens.
Images are acquired using a CCD camera, rather than the photomultiplier tubes used for cLSM, meaning that no sophisticated processing is required.
By offering full-frame CCD image capture at up to 15 frames/second, the DSU is an excellent tool for live-cell applications where speed of acquisition and minimal phototoxicity is paramount.
Disk operation is fully motorised, allowing a computer to switch remotely between wide-field and DSU modes.
The system can be equipped with a motorised filter-wheel to maintain colour temperature in different observation modes and includes a motorised filter turret for the convenient switching of fluorescence filter in DSU mode.
In addition, the DSU is highly flexible and can be combined with motorised microscopes such as the upright Olympus BX61 and the inverted Olympus IX81 for 3D semi-confocal imaging.
By integrating the DSU into the versatile Olympus imaging systems - cell^M and the real time -cell^R, the DSU is an ideal device for optical sectioning in combination with a variety of dedicated imaging applications. Request a free brochure from Olympus Life Science Europa ...
• Olympus Life Science Europa: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Laboratorytalk email newsletter
• Laboratorytalk Home Page
