Many different types of specimen holders can used with any given electron microscope. The different holders give the user control over things like the number of grids that can be examined after inserting a single holder, the imaging temperature (heating and cooling holders), tilt (high tilt and dual tilt holders) and rotation in the plane of the grid (usually combined with tilting and other options). There are also holders specialized for tasks as complicated as inducing strain into a specimen while inside the electron microscope or controlling liquid or gas flow across a specimen while inside the instrument. Examples of different specimen holders can be found in places like the Gatan, Fischione and Protochips websites, and questions about whether a given type of holder could be used with our microscopes should be addressed to the Electron Microscopy Center (EMC) staff.
Our holders and some of the specialized information we have collected on them can be found throughout the following webpages: