Versatile and Inexpensive Specimen Holder for High Angle Azimuth Rotation in a Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscope

Abstract Low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) avoids many of the artifacts associated with chemical fixation, dehydration and critical point drying. As a result, this technique has had numerous applications ranging from biology to hydrology. Unfortunately, experiments using LTSEM are frequently compromised by the limited sample manipulations that are available on most cryo-stages and by the cost of specimen holders. Whereas the conventional SEM stage enables 360° rotation and tilts as great as 90°, the braids or hoses required for cooling a cryo-stage generally limit rotation to about 30° and tilt to less than 40° from normal. Furthermore, the specimen holders for LTSEM may cost several hundred dollars each, thereby prohibiting experiments that require numerous holders. This study describes an inexpensive specimen holder that solves these problems. Figure la illustrates a drawing of the specimen holder supplied with the standard transfer device from the Oxford CT 1500 Cryotrans System.