Direct electron detector for microcrystal electron diffraction

The Thermo Scientific Ceta-D Camera offers a complete solution for microcrystal-electron diffraction (microED), a technique that helps researchers determine the 3D structure of small chemical compounds and biological macromolecules that are too small for conventional X-ray crystallography. The scintillator-based camera can be equipped on new or previously installed Thermo Scientific cryo-transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs) and is optimized for low-dose diffraction data collection. Plus, the Ceta-D Camera can be combined with Thermo Scientific EPU-D Software for screening and automated data acquisition.

 

The Ceta-D Camera’s high sensitivity helps you reliably detect high-resolution, low-intensity diffraction peaks, and its high signal-to-noise ratio helps you accurately measure the integrated peak intensity. Both elements are prerequisites for obtaining high-resolution structural information. After acquisition, the diffraction patterns and metadata are readily available for processing with standard X-ray diffraction data packages like DIALS or XDS. In some existing systems, the Ceta-D Camera has delivered resolutions better than 1 Å.

 

MicroED with the Ceta-D Camera can be applied in fields as diverse as structural biology, medicinal chemistry, and other organic and inorganic chemistry disciplines such as catalyst research and metal-organic frameworks (MOF). It collects data in only a few minutes, which is used to create 3D structures that can be determined at atomic resolution, similar to X-ray crystallography.


MicroED package: Complete microED solution for new and existing cryo-TEM systems

The microED package combined with the Ceta-D Camera to give you a complete microED solution on a new cryo-TEM or an existing one. It includes:

  • EPU-D Software for sample screening and automated data collection
  • A smaller beam stop to mask the central beam without blocking low-resolution diffraction spots
  • An optimized aperture set that suppresses unwanted background signal from the area surrounding the crystal
  • Dedicated electron-optical presets that help optimize camera use and sample-beam geometry
Proteinase K structure determined by micro electron diffraction. Data provided by the Gonen Laboratory HHMI/UCLA.

EPU-D Software expands the intuitive capabilities and unified user experience of EPU Software to electron crystallography. Its user-friendly environment makes it easy to coordinate sample screening and data collection, which can be overwhelming and time-consuming when done manually. The software enables quick switching between imaging and diffraction, guides optimal low-dose setup, and drives the constant speed continuous tilt for data collection.


Ceta-D Camera specifications

Sensor 4,096 x 4,096, 14 μm pixel CMOS
Camera architecture

Fiber optic coupled scintillator (1:1) frame rate

Standard: 4k × 4k, 2 fps; 2k × 2k, 8 fps; 1k × 1k, 18 fps

Noise reduction: 4k × 4k, 2 fps; 2k × 2k, 6 fps; 1k × 1k, 6 fps

Imaging performance In 4k × 4k mode: DQE at 0.1 Nyquist: > 26% at 300 kV, > 40% at 200 kV
Duty cycle in movie mode 100% in rolling shutter mode
Conversion efficiency

>26 counts/primary electron at 200 kV

>22 counts/primary electron at 300 kV

Mounting position On-axis, bottom mounted, retractable

For more information, download the Ceta-D Camera and microED package datasheet.

 

Header Image: The structure of the wildtype 20-34 amyloid-β fragment obtained from sample nanocrystals. Recreated from EMD-20082. (Original study by Warmack et al.)

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.