Case Study
Custom Kapton Heater Protects 3D Microscope from Adverse E?ects of Liquid Nitrogen
During the innovative imaging of a new 3D X-ray microscope, samples are preserved through the use of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen freezes items through excessively low boiling temperatures of -210oC. It boils on contact and gives off an insulating nitrogen gas. Due to the proximity of the microscope lens to the sample, the nitrogen gas was causing frost on the lens and obscuring the results of the 3D, X-ray imaging. The solution needed to be two-fold: First, pouring liquid nitrogen onto the sample meant that the environment would be chilled rapidly,thereby requiring the heater to respond quickly. Second, the lens was less than an inch thick, requiring a special lens ring that required a heater to fit within the very thin dimension of 0.375 in (10mm)