The Rowiak Laser microtome LMT F14 is a multi-purpose instrument designed for sectioning, microstructuring and imaging of biological tissue and various material.
Femtosecond laser technology is the key for this novel generation of microtomes. Ultrafast laser pulses enable precise, non-contact processing of specimens. A main advantage of the laser microtome is its ability to cut native tissue as well as hard tissue without decalcification. Optionally available with a Navigation Module. This tool is based on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a three-dimensional imaging technology. the unique combination of laser microtomy and OCT imaging allows 3-D navigated cutting, making the LMT F14 suitable for a wide range of applications in life sciences and materials research.

Technology

Main component of the LMT F14 is a NIR femtosecond laser. Near-infrared radiation is well suited for processing biological material, because most biological tissues have a very low absorption coefficient for this part of the spectrum. Thus specimens can even be manipulated inside.

To perform a cut the laser beam is tightly focused into the specimen by a high numerical aperture objective. Because of the very high photon density inside the laser focus, non-linear optical processes are induced, which finally lead to ablation. But this effect is only limited to the very small focal volume, thus allowing cuts with micrometer precision.

3D Cutting and Imaging

To prepare tissue sections the laser beam and the specimen are moved simultaneously - the laser beam by a fast scanner and the specimen by a three-axis piezo-driven positioning stage. depending on the material being processed slice thicknesses of 7 to 100µm are feasible. The method is not only suited to prepare thin slices but 3-D sections as well.

Technical Specifications

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