Module Layers
As shown in the system schematic below,, each Ultimeyes Microscopy System microscope is a simple stack of functional Layers. This can range from just three layers for a basic widefield microscope, up to over five for systems configured for advanced multimodal or multichannel microscopy.
In the more advanced configurations, each layer can have up to two fully independent detection or illumination ports. This is achieved by using a Universal Layer with integrated beamsplitting cube exchange or by manually swapping cubes in a Standard Layer, making use of our unique cube design with allows each cube to be configured for both left and right ports on the same layer. This enables a single instrument to have twice the number of detection and illumination channels of current industry standard microscopes – allowing for more compact and more affordable systems – without compromising on performance.
Stage
A range of stages can be mounted on the UMS.
While our main stage option is the ITK LMT203, to allow the maximum performance on UMS microsocpes, a range of different stages can be mounted on UMS microscopes. To ensure high sensitivity of the entire system, a lgiht-tight stage enclosure can be added as well.
Focus Layer
The Focus Layer adds high precision motorised focusing capabilities to the openFrame microscope.
The Ultimeyes Microscopy System provides a high performance focus drive that allows fast and extremely repeatable focusing. This focus drive can be mounted on all basic layer types (Standard Layer, Universal Layer, and compactFrame), opening the door to three fundamentally different styles of frames. While the main design is for inverted frames, upright and even horizontal frames are possible. The focus drives can be equiped with an optical encoder as well as with a hardware autofocus module to drive highly repeatable automated imaging. Options for single objectives and a dual objective changer are available as well.
Epi-Illumination Layer
The Epi-Illumination Layer is used to couple a wide variety of illumination sources into the openFrame’s infinity space.
Immediately under the Focus Layer is the first layer that allows illumination sources to be coupled into the UMS microscope. This can range from basic single wavelength LED illumination to substantially more advanced illumination systems such as laser scanners used for TIRF, FRAP or photomanipulation experiments. A key defining feature of all the options is that any filter cubes or mirror mounts being used can be individually tip-tilt adjusted. This allows for straightforward optical registration of all illumination channels, to ensure zero pixel shift between different illumination paths, which are especially important for demanding applications such as TIRF.
Light sources can be coupled directly in free space or remotely via a liquid light guide optical fibre. The illumination can be masked using our unique adjustable rectangular aperture, to match lightexposure to the camera sensor, avoiding corner bleaching when tiling images.
Tube Lens Layer
The UMS platform is designed to work with tube lenses from most manufacturers.
The tube lens will usually be horizontally thread-mounted to the base of any layer, with a dedicated spacer layer underneath to accommodate its length. Alternatively they can be mounted vertically on detection ports to allow for larger numbers of cameras to be included in a system – in which case the system includes multiple tube lenses. If multiple tube lenses are used, these should all be of the same type if pixel registration is required, but can be different focal lengths if differential magnification or resolution is required between detectors.
The tube lens marks the end of the infinity space. Usually, only detection components are located below it.
Detection Layer
Below the tube lens follows the detection section of the microscope.
The detection layer can be formed of one or two layers, as well as inlcuding horizontal branches. In most systems, the detectors will be CMOS cameras, but they could also be photomultipliers, APDs or spectrometers. Each detection layer can have one or two active detection ports. Port switching is achieved by the same means as described above.
Mechanical connection of the detectors is achieved with any standard interface, using either our clickMount module or an SM2 interface.
Base Layer
The bottom layer in an UMS microscope is a dedicated base.
The Base Layer includes slots to allow flexible mounting onto both metric and imperial optical table hole patterns using either M6 or 1/4-28 bolts. For researchers needing an extra port, the Base Layer has an SM2 threaded port at the bottom. This allows an extra optical component such as a camera to be mounted. In this case, the microscope is mounted to the table via a set of optical posts to lift it sufficiently, or alternatively, the table is configured with a hole to match the bottom port.
