Hoenger Lab
University of Colorado at Boulder
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

The FEI Tecnai TF30 300kV IVEM
For high-resolution plastic and cryoelectron tomography

The TF30 is our primary microscope for both plastic and frozen-hydrated electron tomography. It can image biological specimens up to 300 nanometers thick, and sometimes thicker. It is equipped with a Field Emission Gun (FEG), a Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) and two CCD cameras. Our newest camera, the Gatan "UltraCam", is in line with the GIF and is used for high-resolution imaging and tomography of frozen-hydrated specimens. The second camera is positioned before the GIF, thereby eliminating image distortions that may be caused by the GIF. It is now equipped with a 4-port readout, allowing for rapid tilt-series imaging of plastic-embedded samples. Using our SerialEM software for automated tilt-series acquisition, the TF30 can record a typical 120-image tilt-series in as little as 20 minutes.

The FEI Tecnai TF20 200kV IVEM
For electron tomography and general-purpose electron microscopy

In addition to high-resolution tomography of semi-thick sections, the TF20 is used for single-image data acquisition, grid scanning, user training, electron diffraction, immuno-electron microscopy and data acquisition to film. The TF20 is also equipped with a FEG and can image material up to approximately 200 nanometers thick. This microscope features a Gatan 4k x 4k CCD camera with a 4-port readout, which provides the same rapid image acquisition as the TF30.