INNOVATION

our passion is innovation

Working in partnership with academia and public/private institutions, Direct Electron continues to deliver a stream of innovations for TEM.

Our commitment to innovation delivers salient advantages to our customers:

  • COLLABORATION: We like to collaborate with our customers (either to generate new results or to develop new methods). We can work together with you to develop and implement new ideas and apply them to your specific research.
  • AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Our customers are confident that their camera represents the state-of-the-art technology for electron detection.
  • EARLY ACCESS: Our customers are the first to access and apply our new innovations in data collection techniques and image processing. In fact, many of our software innovations are free and open-source for our customers.

Selected Innovations: A timeline

2000
2004
First to...
Develop direct detection for TEM. [1]
2005
2008
First to...

Demonstrate electron tomography with a direct detector. [2]

2008
First to...

Develop and demonstrate drift correction using the movies from a direct detector. [3]

2009
First to...

Develop and demonstrate single electron counting using a direct detection camera. [4]

2010
2011
First to...

Demonstrate a cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector. [5]

2012
First to...

Demonstrate cryo-EM 3D reconstructions reaching resolution beyond 3/4 Nyquist. [6]

2012
First to...

Attain subnanometer resolution 3D reconstructions using images collected at less than 40k× magnification. [7]

2012
First to...

Directly visualize beam-induced specimen movement of cryo specimens. [8]

2013
First to...

Demonstrate a near-atomic resolution cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector. [9]

2013
First to...

Develop and use “damage compensation” (radiation damage weighted filtering of movie frames to improve SNR across a broad range of spatial frequencies). [10]

2014
First to...

Demonstrate large-format, high-speed in situ movie acquisition with a direct detector. [11]

2014
First to...

Demonstrate energy filtered TEM (EFTEM) with a direct detection camera and movie-mode. [12]

2014
First to...

Develop and offer an 8k × 8k direct detection camera. [13]

2015
2015
First to...

Develop and offer a MAPS direct detector for low-kV electron microscopy. [14]

2020
2020
First to...

Develop and offer a photoblind sensor for a direct detector for TEM. [15]

2021
First to...

Develop and offer an event-based MAPS detector for electron counting. [16]

2021
First to...
Commercially offer an ultra high frame rate MAPS detector for 4D STEM. [17]
References
2004 First to develop direct detection for TEM.
[1] Xuong NH, Milazzo AC, LeBlanc P, Duttweiler F, Bouwer J, Peltier S, Ellisman M, Denes P, Bieser F, Matis HS, Wieman H, Kleinfelder S. “First use of a high-sensitivity active pixel sensor array as a detector for electron microscopy.” Proceedings of the SPIE 5301, 242–249 (2004). View Publication.
2008 First to demonstrate electron tomography with a direct detector.
[2] Jin L, Milazzo AC, Kleinfelder S, Li S, Leblanc P, Duttweiler F, Bouwer JC, Peltier ST, Ellisman MH, Xuong NH. “Applications of direct detection device in transmission electron microscopy.” Journal of Structural Biology 161, 352-358 (2008). View Publication.
2008 First to develop and demonstate drift correction using the movies from a direct detector
[3] Ibid.
2009 First to develop and demonstrate single electron counting using a direct detection camera.
[4] Jin L. “Direct detection in transmission electron microscopy.” Dissertation, University of California San Diego (2009). View Publication.
2011 First to demonstrate a cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector.
[5] Milazzo AC, Cheng A, Moeller A, Lyumkis D, Jacovetty E, Polukas J, Ellisman MH, Xuong NH, Carragher B, Potter CS. “Initial evaluation of a direct detection device detector for single particle cryo-electron microscopy.” Journal of Structural Biology 176, 404-408 (2011). View Publication.
2012 First to demonstrate cryo-EM 3D reconstructions reaching resolution beyond 3/4 Nyquist
[6] Bammes BE, Rochat RH, Jakana J, Chen DH, Chiu W. “Direct electron detection yields cryo-EM reconstructions at resolutions beyond 3/4 Nyquist frequency.” Journal of Structural Biology 177, 589-601 (2012). View Publication.
2012 First to attain subnanometer resolution 3D reconstructions using images collected at less than 40k× magnification.
[7] Ibid.
2012 First to directly visualize beam-induced specimen movement of cryo specimens.
[8] Brilot AF, Chen JZ, Cheng A, Pan J, Harrison SC, Potter CS, Carragher B, Henderson R, Grigorieff N. “Beam-induced motion of vitrified specimen on holey carbon film.” Journal of Structural Biology 177, 630-637 (2012). View Publication.
2013 First to demonstrate a near-atomic resolution cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector.
[9] Campbell MG, Cheng A, Brilot AF, Moeller A, Lyumkis D, Veesler D, Pan J, Harrison SC, Potter CS, Carragher B, Grigorieff N. “Movies of ice-embedded particles enhance resolution in electron cryo-microscopy.” Structure 20, 1823-1828 (2012). View Publication.
2013 First to develop and use “damage compensation” (radiation damage weighted filtering of movie frames to improve SNR across a broad range of spatial frequencies).
[10] Bammes BE, Chen DH, Jin L, Bilhorn RB. “Visualizing and correcting dynamic specimen processes in TEM using a Direct Detection Device.” Microscopy & Microanalysis 19, 1320-1321 (2013). View Publication.
2014 First to demonstrate large-format, high-speed in situ movie acquisition with a direct detector.
[11] Zeng Z, Liang WI, Liao HG, Xin HL, Chu YH, Zheng H. “Visualization of electrode-electrolyte interfaces in LiPF6/EC/DEC electrolyte for lithium ion batteries via in situ TEM.” Nano Letters 14, 1745-1750 (2014). View Publication.
2014 First to demonstrate energy filtered TEM (EFTEM) with a direct detection camera and movie-mode.
[12] Ramachandra R, Bouwer JC, Mackey MR, Bushong E, Peltier ST, Xuong NH, Ellisman MH. “Improving signal to noise in labeled biological specimens using energy-filtered TEM of sections with a drift correction strategy and a direct detection device.” Microscopy & Microanalysis 20, 706-714 (2014). View Publication.
2014 First to develop and offer an 8k × 8k direct detection camera
[13] The DE-64 Camera System was announced at the 2014 Gordon Research Conference in Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy. View More Information.
2015 First to develop and offer a MAPS direct detector for low-kV electron microscopy
[14] The LV-126 was the first commercially available MAPS detector for low-kV EM. View publication.
2020 First to develop and offer a photoblind sensor for a direct detector for TEM
[15] The University of Göttingen used our photoblind sensor to perform laser-driven ultra-fast TEM experiments without background photon noise. View publication.
2021 First to develop and offer an event-based MAPS detector for electron counting
[16] The Apollo direct detector was announced in 2021 after eight years of development. View more information.
2021 First to commercially offer an ultra high frame rate MAPS detector for 4D STEM
[17] The Celeritas direct detector for 4D STEM and fast in situ TEM was announced in 2021. View press releaase.
2004Pioneered Direct Detection for TEM
2008Introduced drift correction using movie frames from a direct detector
2008First to demonstrate electron tomography with a direct detector
2009Introduced single electron counting with a direct detection camera
2010Introduced the DE-12 as the first commercial direct detector for TEM
2011First demonstration of cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector
2012First to directly visualize and correct beam-induced specimen movement of cryo specimens
2012Achieved breakthrough with Cryo-EM 3D reconstructions surpassing 3/4 Nyquist resolution for the first time
2012Attained sub-nm resolution 3D reconstructions using images collected at less than 40 kx magnification
2013Developed "damage compensation" technique to enhance SNR across spatial frequencies
2013Achieved near-atomic resolution cryo-EM 3D reconstruction using a direct detector
2014Introduced the first commercial 8k × 8k direct detection camera (DE-64)
2014Pioneered large-format, high-speed in situ movie acquisition with a direct detector
2014Demonstrated energy filtered TEM (EFTEM) with a direct detection camera and movie-mode
2015Developed the first commercial MAPS direct detector for low-kV electron microscopy
2019Developed the DE-FreeScan programmable scan generator for 4D STEM
2020First to develop and offer a photoblind sensor for a direct detector for TEM
2020Created the first event-based MAPS detector for electron counting (Apollo)
2021Created the first ultra high frame rate MAPS detector for 4D STEM (Celeritas)
2022Patented high-dynamic range counting to enhance 4D STEM, diffraction, and EELS results with MAPS detectors
2022Patented technique for elemental mapping of labeled biological specimens using 4D STEM
2023Record 1.85 Å resolution for a Cryo-EM helical reconstruction
2023Record 0.5 Å resolution reported for a microcrystal electron diffraction dataset
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