Happy Independence Day, Happy Canada Day!

We're situated in Rochester, NY - less than 100 miles from the US-Canadian border. In our part of the world, the Americans and Canadians just celebrated their national birthdays. The city of Rochester has a rich history of imaging and optics. Eastman Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb were founded here. We're proud to be part of the newest generation of optics and imaging companies to come out of this region. Let us know how we can help you image better.

Regards,
The TEMwindows.com Team

Student Awards for Microscopy & Microanalysis 2010

Once again we are offering cash awards to students & post-docs who demonstrate use of our UltraSM® Pure Silicon, Silicon Oxide or Silicon Nitride TEM windows. It's not too late to apply. Click here for more details.

Platform Presentations

Christopher Striemer, PhD, Vice President of Membrane Development and Thomas Gaborski, PhD, President and COO will be each giving a platform presentation at M&M this year.

See Chris present details of our thin film membrane technology:

Tuesday August 3, 2010

A-01 Vendor Symposium: Creating the Tools for Science (Room B115)
1:45 PM 310 Advanced Imaging and Separation Tools Based on Ultra-thin Porous Silicon Membranes; CC Striemer, TR Gaborski,; SiMPore, Inc

See Tom present cell culture work using our UltraSM® Pure Silicon membranes:

Thursday August 5, 2010

B-06 Microfluidic Devices: Emerging Platforms for Live Cell Microscopy (Room B115)
9:45 AM 803 Highly Permeable Membranes for Live Cell Imaging of Co-Cultures; TR Gaborski; SiMPore Inc; BJ Nehilla; University of Rochester; CC Striemer; SiMPore Inc; JL McGrath; University of Rochester

Cell growth on nanoporous UltraSM® published in Biomaterials this month!

An article this month in Biomaterials illustrates how cells can be grown on nanoporous UltraSM® membranes. From the abstract:

"The current study investigates the feasibility of pnc-Si as a cell culture substrate by measuring cell adhesion, morphology, growth and viability on pnc-Si compared to conventional culture substrates. Results for immortalized fibroblasts and primary vascular endothelial cells are highly similar on pnc-Si, polystyrene and glass. Significantly, pnc-Si dissolves in cell culture media over several days without cytotoxic effects and stability is tunable by modifying the density of a superficial oxide. The results establish pnc-Si as a viable substrate for cell culture and a degradable biomaterial. Pnc-Si membranes should find use in the study of molecular transport through cell monolayers, in studies of cell-cell communication, and as biodegradable scaffolds for three-dimensional tissue constructs."

Coming later this summer, SiMPore and TEMwindows.com will be offering UltraSM® products for cell culture imaging in both light and electron microscopy. Please check our website for updates.

Annual Sample Pack Sale - Just $230

This month we are announcing our annual 50% off sale on our sample pack. The sample pack has a special price of $230 and includes the following items:

• 5 x Porous UltraSM Pure Silicon 15 nm TEM Windows (squares)
• 5 x Non-Porous UltraSM Pure Silicon 9 nm TEM Windows (squares)
• 5 x Silicon Oxide 20 nm TEM Windows (squares)
• 5 x Silicon Nitride 20 nm TEM Windows (single 500 micron square)

Click here for more details.

Custom TEM Grids From TEMwindows.com

Our team of engineers has the capabilities to develop and fabricate custom TEM grids and other suspended-membrane chips. We take pride in meeting your custom specifications with tight tolerances. We can help you refine your design and develop a fabrication plan to meet your needs. Our custom capabilities include fabrication of devices:

• 100 - 400 micron thick silicon frames
• Frame geometries from standard 2.9 mm TEM grids to 5 x 5 mm chips (and larger)
• Windows of 0.025 - 2.5 mm, depending on membrane types
• Membranes of pure silicon, silicon nitride or silicon oxide from 5 - 200 nm thick
• Other novel materials also available

The above image shows samples from a wide range of custom orders. Recent examples include:

• 2.9 mm TEM Grids with 30 nm silicon nitride membranes and 25 micron and 50 micron square windows (top row, first two grids) - produced for the Riken Research Institute in Japan.
• 5 x 5 mm chips with 125 nm sputtered silicon oxide membranes on 1 x 2.5 mm openings (top row, last grid on right) - produced for the Max-Planck Institute in Germany.

Learn more about our custom capabilities by downloading our PDF brochure. Most custom projects are completed within 4-6 weeks.

Please contact us if you have any specialized grid requirements, and our engineers would be happy to provide feedback on potential solutions.