Structured illumination spinning disk microscopy

Why Laser-Free?

Save samples

Lower photo-bleaching and lower photo-toxicity

Save time

No maintenance
No routine down-time

Save money

Lower initial purchase price
No need for expensive service contracts
No expensive lasers to routinely monitor & replace
No laser safety restrictions / training – anyone can use
Much more compact and light weight confocal device - easily moved and adaptable to a wide variety of microscopes / applications

Why Confocal?

HIGHER RESOLUTION VERSUS WIDEFIELD

Confocal offers significantly increased image resolution and detail compared to widefield.

A typical example is depicted.

The top / left image is widefield and the bottom / right image is the same field of view in confocal.

Click on the images to enlarge.

aurox confocal microscope widefield_example.png

aurox confocal microscope confocal_example.png

Why spinning disk?

HIGH SPEED, LIVE IMAGING

Three main types of confocal microscope instruments are commercially available today:

Laser scanning confocals which rely upon slow point-scanning and are restricted to using available laser wavelengths. Images obtained are not real-time.

Nipkov spinning disk confocals which use multiple pin-holes in a spinning disk and each pin-hole acts like a single laser scanning confocal.
Spinning disks are therefore much faster than laser scanning systems, but the pin-holes must be well spaced to avoid crosstalk, thus limiting the size and number of pin-holes. This makes traditional 'Nipkov' spinning disks very light inefficient with <1% illumination of the specimen, such that stronger laser light sources are needed.¹

Aurox laser-free confocal spinning disks which provide higher speed imaging combined with up to 50% greater light efficiency compared to a traditional 'Nipkov' spinning disk.

How is Aurox Laser Free?

UPTO 50% MORE LIGHT EFFICIENT DESIGN

The Aurox spinning disk applies our patented approach using a‘grid’ pattern instead of pin-holes, effectively replacing pin holes with a rectangular slot, thus achieving >50% light efficiency; compared to <1% from pin hole spinning disks, but with the advantage of the greater speed of a spinning disk. We also collect both transmitted and reflected light, adding to our light efficiency.

Our much higher light efficiency means that lasers are not required and allows the use of laser-free LED and metal halide light sources to give high quality confocal images from an instrument that has the additional benefits of: