A new way to visualize fluorescence imaging for any microscope

Hamamatsu Photonics has released a new multi-channel confocal unit called MAICO®. This MEMS* confocal unit can easily be attached to any microscope to achieve confocal fluorescence microscopy. This plug and play, compact unit is an affordable and complementary option to high-end confocal microscopes. It is everything you may expect from a classical confocal set-up including a pinhole, filters, a laser source and a detector, yet its compact size is designed to be used right from a researcher’s lab desk.

MAICO® has a unique subunit structure that contains all the necessary components for each fluorescence band excitation and detection in a single unit. It supports single channel observation as well as up to four multi-channel (405 nm, 488nm, 561 nm, and 638 nm) simultaneous excitation and observation.

Vital for the research of biological systems, confocal microscopes are not always accessible to laboratories. Their high-resolving power and their ability to capture images in the depth direction are essential to accurately observe samples. MAICO® was specifically developed for this purpose, to offer an affordable alternative without compromising on high-quality features.

It offers high speed, high sensitivity and a compact design that is capable of simultaneous multiband observation without bleed-through. As MAICO® utilizes our most sensitive detectors and signal processing know-how, we were able to successfully reduce the laser power to a Class 3R. Therefore, it can be used in a normal laboratory environment, without the need for a laser-controlled area.

*Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems