Modular Assembly

Materials for Assembly

Chip type will depend on desired application. Pictured are single slot, nanoporous membranes (NPSN100-1L, nanoporous silicon nitride 100 nm thick – 1 window; aka “NPN”)

Chip Tweezers: Techni-Tool SMD Handling Tweezer Double Angle SM111SA (Techni-Tool Part #: 758TW003)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Straight Tweezers: Techni-Tool Tweezer Stainless Steel Precision Type GG (Techni-Tool Part #: 758TW534)

Optional: Foam mat for setting down chip (can be purchased at any craft store or Amazon, eg. OLFA 9880 RM-CG 12-Inch x 18-Inch Self-Healing Double-Sided Rotary Mat – must be compliant and can be kept particle-free)

Other recommended materials

CytoVU: SiMPore (Product Number CV-Slide)

VWR P20-200 pipette tips (Catalog #: 76322-516) – Ports to the bottom channel are designed and tested seal-to-fit with these tips specifically. Alternate brands may not seal as effectively

Assembly Tutorials

Step-by-Step Assembly Instructions

Video of Assembly Part 1; Video of Assembly Part 2 (videos show assembly of trench-down device, note chip is placed trench-up on fixture A1)

How to Flip a Chip (video showing how to flip a chip, note you need a soft surface such as a foam mat, DO NOT USE GEL BOX)

Bottom Channel Orientation

Trench-Up vs Trench-Down

Trench-Down Device

Trench-Up Device

The orientation of the chip in your device will depend on your application. For example, trench-down devices are useful if you desire a completely flat monolayer of cells and want to avoid changes in geometry. Trench-up devices are crucial for those using high resolution imaging and need to minimize working distance of cells and the objective. For more information on the impact of chip orientation and fluorescence imaging, see this page.

When assembling your device, you place the chip in the OPPOSITE orientation than the desired final orientation, as shown in Video of Assembly Part 1.