Linkam Scientific Instruments LTS420 User manual

LTS420
Temperature Controlled Stage
USER GUIDE
Linkam Scientific Instruments

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Contents
Important Notice ................................................................................................................ 4
Warranty............................................................................................................................ 4
Technical Support............................................................................................................... 4
Equipment Maintenance...................................................................................................... 4
Handling Liquid Nitrogen..................................................................................................... 4
Safety Precautions .............................................................................................................. 5
Symbol Reference......................................................................................................... 5
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6
LTS420 Stage Specifications .......................................................................................... 6
LTS420 System................................................................................................................... 6
Stage Anatomy................................................................................................................... 7
Lid Assembly ................................................................................................................ 7
Stage Assembly ............................................................................................................ 7
Mounting Stage to Microscope with Dovetail Substage .......................................................... 8
Setting up the Condenser.............................................................................................. 8
Setting up the Water Circulation Pump ................................................................................ 9
Sample preparation .......................................................................................................... 10
Loading a Sample ....................................................................................................... 10
Using the Heat Shield.................................................................................................. 11
Cooling Connections ......................................................................................................... 12
Filling the Liquid Nitrogen Dewar ................................................................................. 13
Purging Procedure ............................................................................................................ 13
Purging the Stage Method 1 ........................................................................................ 14
Purging the Stage Method 2 ........................................................................................ 15
Appendix.......................................................................................................................... 16
Window Assembly............................................................................................................. 16
Lid Window Assembly ................................................................................................. 16
Bottom Window Assembly ........................................................................................... 16
Replacing the Microscope Slide Holder ............................................................................... 17
LTSE420 with Internal Electrical Contacts........................................................................... 18
Using the Internal Electrical Contacts ........................................................................... 19
Lemo Connector ......................................................................................................... 20
Liquid Crystal Stage Pro .................................................................................................... 21
Using the Liquid Crystal Cell ........................................................................................ 21
Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................... 22
Contact Details ................................................................................................................. 24

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Important Notice
Please check that your Linkam equipment has not been damaged during transit. If there is any evidence of
external damage DO NOT SWITCH ON ANY ELECTRICAL ITEMS.
Contact LINKAM SCIENTIFIC or an appointed distributor immediately. Your warranty may be
impaired if Linkam is not informed of any transport damage within 7 working days of delivery.
NO attempt should be made to repair or modify the equipment in any way, as there are no user
replaceable parts.
No attempt should be made to open the case except by qualified personnel as hazardous voltages are
present.
In order to use this equipment successfully, please take time to read this user guide fully before using it.
Warranty
This equipment has a warranty against defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months.
Linkam will either repair or replace products that prove to be defective. For warranty service or repair, this
product must be returned to Linkam or a designated service facility.
The warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from interfacing, unauthorized modification or misuse,
operation outside of the environmental specifications for the product, or improper site preparation or
maintenance.
Technical Support
Any technical questions or queries should be addressed to the Technical Support Department at
[email protected].uk
Equipment Maintenance
Use a small quantity of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a soft cloth and gently wipe the surface. To clean the
hotstage, use IPA and cotton swabs. Take great care not to touch the platinum
temperature sensor protruding from the side of the heating element. The sensor is very fragile.
Handling Liquid Nitrogen
To cool samples below room temperature a LNP96 liquid nitrogen pump is required. Please refer to your
health and safety manual for instructions on how to handle liquid nitrogen safely. Always use in a well
ventilated room.

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Safety Precautions
1. Read this guide before using the equipment. Save these instructions for later use.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions which may be placed on the stage.
3. Never use the equipment if any cables have been damaged. Do not allow any heavy objects to rest on
the cables. Never lay the cables on the floor.
4. Do not obstruct any ventilation holes. Do not attempt to insert anything into these openings. Provide
adequate ventilation of at least 75mm all around the equipment.
5. Do not expose the equipment to water. If for any reason it gets wet, unplug it from the mains and
contact Linkam Scientific Technical Support.
6. The equipment is not intended to be used outdoors.
7. If any problems occur, turn all Linkam equipment off and contact Linkam Scientific Technical
Support.
8. Do not remove any covers from the equipment, any servicing should be carried out by qualified
service personnel.
Symbol References
Caution:
This safety symbol is on the back panel of the equipment and warns:-
The user must not make or remove any connections while the unit is powered on.
To avoid electric shock do not remove the cover. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.
Caution:
This warning symbol indicates that the surface labelled with this symbol may be hot.

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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the LTS420 Heating
and Freezing stage system. Please take the time to
read through this user guide as it will help you to
make the most out of the equipment.
LTS420 Stage Specifications
Maximum temperature: 420°C
Minimum temperature: < -195°C with LNP96
Maximum heating rate: 40°C/min
Objective Lens WD: 6.0mm
Condenser lens WD: 13.2mm
XY-Manipulators travel: 15mm
Aperture hole: 2.5mm
Typical LTS420 System
A typical system consists of an LTS420 stage and
a T96 LinkPad System Controller, allowing for
stand-alone control of heating. Further options to
enhance the system include:
• LNP96-S liquid nitrogen cooling pump,
for cooling below ambient temperatures.
• LINK System control software, allowing
control and data capture using a PC.
LINK also has additional optional
modules for digital video capture, and
sample measurement functions.
• Imaging Station, a microscope with
tilting arm to allow for easy sample
access.
The LTS420 stage is mounted onto the
microscope by using either specific stage clamps,
an adaptor plate or by simply placing on the XY
table of the microscope, using double sided
adhesive tape.
Typical LTS420 System
LTS420 Stage

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Stage Anatomy
Lid Assembly
Swing the Stage Lid (1) to open the Stage.
1. Stage Lid
2. Lid Insert
3. Viewing Window
4. Holes for Tube Clip Holder
or window removal tool
5. Hinge
Stage Assembly
6. Lemo connector for Stage Lead
7. Bypass Stage body water cooling connector
8. Heating element wire
9. PT100 platinum temperature sensor
10. Stage Chamber
11. Aperture hole (2.5mm)
12. Pure Silver Heating / cooling block
(43x53mm)
13. Heating/Cooling Block Support
14. Y-manipulator
15. X-manipulator
16. Liquid nitrogen cooling connector
17. Stainless steel cooling tube for liquid nitrogen
18. Rubber sealing O-ring
19. Stage body water cooling connector
20. Gas purge valve
21. Fixing screw for microscope Sample Slide
holder
22. Microscope Sample Slide Holder
23. Alignment peg for Sample Slide Holder
24. Pure silver Heat Shield
25. Aperture (5mm)
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2
3
5
Swing Stage Lid to open
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25
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Mounting Stage to Microscope
with Dovetail Substage
The following description is for mounting the
stage on to microscopes which have a circular
dovetail substage assembly (1).
Attach the curved stage clamps (part no. 9542) to
the base of the stage using the supplied hex
screws and the outer most holes in the base plate.
Adjust the two positioning screws (2) so that
approximately 5mm of thread is exposed on the
inside edge of the clamp. This will roughly
position the stage in the centre of the dovetail.
Place the stage onto the dovetail, then focus a
10X objective lens on the aperture of the heating
element. Using the two positioning screws (2)
ensure that the aperture is in the centre of the field
of view and lock the stage in place by tightening
the Locking Thumbscrew (3).
For other types of microscope substage, refer to
the diagram included with the stage adaptor.
Setting up the Condenser
Place a small sample on a microscope slide and
place onto the surface of the microscope slide.
Use a 10X lens to focus on the sample. Now close
down the microscope field diaphragm and adjust
the condenser focus so that the edges of the dia-
phragm are in focus. Now use the condenser
positioning screws to centre the condenser in your
field of view. Open the diaphragm so that it just
fills the field of view.
9542 curved clamps set
Linkam Imaging Station
with dovetail substage
1
2
2
3

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Setting up the Water Circulation
Pump
If you have purchased a Water Circulation Pump
with your system, read the following to set up the
pump with the LTS420 stage. Refer to the Water
Circulation Pump User Guide for more details.
When heating the stage above 300°C for more
than a couple of minutes, the metal body of the
stage can get quite hot. The Water Circulation
Pump is used to cool the metal casing. Connect
the tubing as shown in the picture opposite.
Note: If you have an LNP96 Liquid Nitrogen
Pump, the tubing from the Dewar must not be
connected to the LTS420 stage when heating
above 300°C. The thin black capillary tube will
melt inside the heater and damage it.
OutletBypass cooling
Inlet

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Sample Preparation
Note: Temperature control performance is easily
compromised. Therefore it is very important to
keep the Heating/Cooling block and microscope
glass slide clean. Use a soft cloth and IPA (iso-
propyl alcohol) to clean.
The Heating/Cooling block is made from pure
silver, a soft metal. Please take extra care when
cleaning the block to avoid scratching the surface
and therefore compromising the temperature
accuracy of the sample.
Loading a Sample
The Microscope Slide Holder is fitted on to the
LTS420 and the holder should not touch the silver
heating/cooling block, it should hover just above
it.
Note: if necessary the Microscope Slide Holder
can be bent into shape with a little force to help it
to hold the microscope glass slide.
Place a standard microscope glass slide
(26x76mm) in the Microscope Slide Holder, use
a spatula and tap on the microscope glass slide to
make sure that it is sitting flat on the heating
block.
Place the sample on top of the microscope glass
slide. Ensure that the sample is as small and as
flat as possible.
Heat flow into or out of the sample is affected by
the amount of sample area in contact with the
temperature controlled surface.
Place a W16G (16 x 0.17mm) or a W22G (22 x
0.17mm) glass cover on top of the sample and
gently tap the top with the back of the tweezers to
disperse powder samples. This is to ensure good
thermal contact of irregularly shaped
samples and to create a flat surface for the
microscope lens to focus on.
Accurate temperatures can be obtained by
keeping the sample as small and flat as possible.

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Using the Heat Shield
If your temperature controlled experiment
requires extra temperature stability, use the
supplied Heat Shield to cover the heater.
Use the Y-manipulator (1) to move the
Microscope Slide Holder to the middle of the
heating bock and use the X-manipulator (2) to
move the Microscope slide holder to the home
position (8mm from the edge).
The Heat Shield (3) is very precisely made with
the Microscope Slide Holder in this position, it
will ensure that the edges of the Heat Shield make
good thermal contact with the edge of the heating
element and a thermal oven around the sample is
created.
Place the Heat Shield over the microscope slide
so that it rests on the heating element. The
sample is now heated from all sides enabling a
very even temperature throughout the sample.
Heating rates may be slightly compromised due to
the extra thermal mass but sample temperature
accuracy will be improved.
Note: the Heat Shield is made from pure silver, a
soft metal. Please take extra care when handling
the heat shield and DO NOT bend it out of shape.
When not in use always store the Heat Shield in
the plastic casing provided for the stage.
To increase temperature stability even further,
place a (W16G) 16mm cover slip on the heat
shield to prevent heat escaping from the 5mm
aperture.
Note: This may slightly compromise your image
if high NA lenses are being used. Experiment to
see if this extra cover slip has a detrimental effect
on the image.
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3

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Cooling Connections
These connections need only be made if the
experiments are to be carried out below room
temperature using the LNP96 system.
The Dewar siphon (1) is the thick white foam
tubing and is attached to the liquid nitrogen
Dewar. The thin black capillary tube inside the
white foam tube must be inserted into the liquid
nitrogen cooling connector on the stage.
The white tubing slides on to the outside of the
connector. Twist the siphon whilst sliding it on
and push until it comes to a stop. It does not need
to go all the way to the base of the connector.
The thicker silicon tube from the LNP96 ends in a
white PTFE connector (2), this is pushed over the
end of the other stainless steel connector as seen
in the image.
The short tube branching from the side of this
white connector is the Gas Purging Tube (3).
There is a valve opening Insert connector (4)
inserted into the end of this tube. During the
purging procedure, insert this connector into the
Gas Purge Valve (5) on the side of the stage to
open it.
The Gas Purge Valve (5) is opened when the Gas
Insert (6) is pushed firmly into the connector, a
“click” is heard when the two parts are connected
properly. To remove the Gas Insert, push the
outer sleeve of Gas Purge Valve toward the stage
and the Gas Insert (6) should drop out.
There is a second Gas Purge Valve on the
opposite side of the stage to allow the gas to leave
the stage. A Gas Insert must also be inserted into
this Gas Purge Valve (7) when purging.
The smaller tube from the outlet on the LNP96
should be placed in position on the top of the lid
using the Tube Clip Holder (8). This tube blows
warm recycled nitrogen gas across the lid window
to prevent condensation on the viewing window
surface.
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7
5
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8

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Purging Procedure
Before starting a cooling experiment, you will need to purge air from the stage chamber with dry nitrogen.
This will remove the water in the air which would otherwise condense and freeze on the sample disrupting
your image quality.
The following purging procedures require the temperature of the stage and LNP96 cooling flow rate to be
set. This can be accomplished by using either a LinkPad or LINK software, please refer to the relevant
user guide.
Filling the Liquid Nitrogen Dewar
Please follow your health and safety user guide
for directions on how to handle liquid nitrogen
and ensure that you have the correct safety
equipment including gloves and safety goggles.
Fill the Dewar approximately 2/3 full and replace
the lid with siphon attached.
DO NOT FASTEN THE CATCHES.
Wait for the nitrogen to stop bubbling before
fastening the catches.
Take care when placing lid on a table to always
have the black capillary pointing upwards. It is
easily damaged which will impair N2 flow.

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Purging the Stage Method 1
Method 1 uses recycled nitrogen gas produced by the LNP96 from the Dewar.
1. Make sure the stage lid is in place and the stage door is closed.
2. Switch on the temperature programmer and set the limit to 40°C. Press the START button and wait
until the temperature limit is reached. Press HOLD to hold the temperature at 40°C.
3. Switch on the LNP96, set it to manual mode (see your controller or software user guide), and set
the speed to the maximum of 100.
4. Connect the purging tube with the gas insert from the LNP tube into one of the gas purging valves
in the side of the stage body. Connect the spare gas insert into the other gas purging valve in the
other side of the stage body. Check that the Gas Inserts are securely locked into place.
5. Block the hole in the white (or black) plastic pump connector found on the opposite side to the
purging tube and seal the narrow window tube to block it. This action will divert all of the
nitrogen gas to the purging tube and through the Stage Chamber.
6. With the nitrogen gas flowing through the Stage Chamber, block the gas outlet port for a few
seconds to allow pressure to build up, then unblock the port to release the gas. Repeat this for a few
minutes to purge the stage.
7. The purging procedure allows mixing of nitrogen gas with the residual air inside the Stage
Chamber. By pressurising the chamber with nitrogen gas and releasing it, the air inside the
Chamber is being diluted with the nitrogen gas.
8. Remove the two Gas Inserts and unblock the pump connector and window tube.
9. Change the LNP96 to AUTOMATIC mode so that the T96 automatically controls pump speed
during your cooling experiment
Please refer to your health and safety officer for instructions on how to handle liquid nitrogen safely and
ensure that you have the correct Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE).

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Purging the Stage Method 2
This method uses an inert gas from a gas cylinder
to purge the stage at temperatures above ambient
when the LNP96 is not required.
1. Make sure the Stage Lid is in place and the
Stage Door is closed.
2. From a gas cylinder connect the Gas Insert
with a tubing 3mm inner diameter and 6mm
outer diameter to the Gas Purge Valve (1).
3. Connect a Gas Insert to the opposite side Gas
Purge Valve (2).
4. Use the gas regulator to set a gas flow rate of
1L/min.
5. With the gas flowing through the Sample
Chamber, block the gas outlet for a few
seconds and releasing the gas outlet valve with
a finger. Repeat this for a few minutes to purge
the stage.
Reduce the gas flow rate to 20cc/min to
continuously purge the stage or remove the two
Gas Inserts to keep the chamber under closed
inert atmosphere.
Note: Helium gas is not recommended for
continuous purging. This gas has a very high
thermal conductivity and will cool the silver
heating block too much during an experiment and
may cause the temperature to fluctuate.
2
1
To gas cylinder

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Appendix
Window Assembly
Lid Window Assembly
To replace the windows in the Stage Lid (1) use
the Window Tool (2) and align the two wide
spacing pins to the Tube Clip Holder holes and
unscrew the Lid Insert (3).
The Stage Lid and Lid Insert should be turned
upside down as shown in the diagram opposite
and reassembled in the order indicated.
The Lid Insert should be screwed down until the
cover slips are held firmly, then turn the assembly
over and screw down the Lid Insert until it is felt
to come to a stop.
Bottom Window Assembly
Use two narrow spacing pins of Window Tool (2)
to align it to the two holes of Window Locking
Ring (4) and unscrew.
Reassemble the bottom window as shown in the
diagram opposite.
1
2
3
Silicon
rubber
rings
Quartz
(22x0.5mm)
2
4
Silicon
rubber
rings
Quartz
(22x0.5mm)

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Replacing the Microscope Slide
Holder
Use a flat blade screw driver and remove the
screw (1). Take out the Microscope Slide holder
from the XY Manipulator Assembly (2).
Do the reverse to replace the LTS420 with a new
Microscope Slide Holder. Make sure the 2 holes
on the holder are lined up with the two notches
(2) on the XY Manipulator Assembly.
Note: when fitted properly the Microscope Slide
Holder should not touch the silver heating block
(4), the holder should hover about 1mm above it.
If the holder is touching the heating block or
hovers too high, remove screw (1) and turn the
Microscope Slide Holder over.
Note: the Microscope Slide Holder can be bent
with a little force into shape to help.
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4
3
2

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LTSE420 with Internal
Electrical Contacts Option
Only read the following if the stage is supplied
with internal electrical contacts for the LTSE420
or Liquid Crystal Pro Stage.
The stage is supplied with two internal electrical
contact connectors (1) wired to an external Lemo
connector (2).
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2
LTSE420 Stage

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Using the Internal Electrical Contact
The internal electrical contact has a self-closing
spring loaded pin (1).
Using a finger tip push in the pin to open the
electrical contact and insert a wire into the contact
(2).
Release the finger when the wire is in place.
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2

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Lemo Connector
Remove the Lemo plug by holding it firmly and
pull it gently away from the Stage.
Wire up the Lemo to your instrument.
To reconnect the Lemo, line up the red dot on the
Lemo plug (1) to the red dot on the Lemo socket
(2) and push the Lemo firmly into place.
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2