New Glow Discharge System for TEM and Surface Modification

Quorum Technologies, market and technology leaders in electron microscopy coating and cryogenic preparation products, announce the release of the GloQube, a new, compact, easy to use glow discharge system primarily for users of TEM.

The GloQube® is a new, compact, easy to use glow discharge system, used for the hydrophilisation (wetting) of TEM support films and grids and for surface modifications, for example polymer bonding.

The GloQube is available in two formats. The GloQube-D has two independent vacuum chambers: a clean chamber for applications requiring hydrophobic/hydrophilic conversion, typically using air as the process gas, and a vapour chamber designed for hydrophilic/hydrophobic (negative or positive) conversions, typically using reagents such as methanol and alkylamine. The GloQube-S has a single clean chamber.

With operator safety and ease of use firmly in mind, the vapour delivery system has reusable septum-sealed reagent vials, which insert into a shielded needle using a simple bayonet fitting.

Each chamber can accommodate two 25 x 75 mm glass microscopes slides and automatic valving between chambers maintains cleanliness by preventing cross-contamination. A convenient draw-style chamber door, stage and removable sample trays ensure rapid sample exchange. Both GloQube-D and GloQube-S require a single vacuum pump giving a typical pump time to operational vacuum of around 60 seconds.

Data input and control is by an intuitive touch screen which allows multiple users to rapidly input and store preferred process ‘recipes’. Typical default glow discharge protocols are loaded as standard.

Like all other Quorum Technologies products, the GloQube comes with a generous three-year warranty and dedicated specialist support.