Overview

	High-Contrast Optical Sectioning Images The SILA (Speckle Illumination Acquisition) optical sectioning device easily integrates into your VS200 system and software. Speckles are used to obtain high-contrast images, removing out-of-focus light to deliver sharp images, especially from thick samples. The image is computed during the scan, and there’s no need for post-processing, so the device has a minimal impact on acquisition speed. Get in Touch

High-Contrast Optical Sectioning Images

The SILA (Speckle Illumination Acquisition) optical sectioning device easily integrates into your VS200 system and software. Speckles are used to obtain high-contrast images, removing out-of-focus light to deliver sharp images, especially from thick samples. The image is computed during the scan, and there’s no need for post-processing, so the device has a minimal impact on acquisition speed.

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Optical Sectioning Technology

The SILA device—developed by Bliq Photonics—is a camera-based optical sectioning technology used to bring high-contrast, blur-free images to your VS200 system.

Watch the SlideView VS200 SILA Optical Section Device Product video to learn more about Slide Scanning in New Dimensions

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	Easy to Use The SILA device is easy to use with samples of any thickness and independent of the magnification. No special calibration is required, and it’s compatible with a variety of existing Evident objectives. Just insert the slide manually or using the loader, load the software, and acquire the images with the ‘SILA’ option enabled.

Easy to Use

The SILA device is easy to use with samples of any thickness and independent of the magnification. No special calibration is required, and it’s compatible with a variety of existing Evident objectives. Just insert the slide manually or using the loader, load the software, and acquire the images with the ‘SILA’ option enabled.

Compact and Easy to Install

The SILA module is compact. It can be used with any manual or loader VS200 system, and existing VS200 scanners can be upgraded on site.

Widefield (left) and SILA (right) images of a whole planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea in 20x, showing the intestines. Blue: DAPI. Green: inner intestine cells; Red: outer intestine cells. Samples provided by Amrutha Palavalli, Department for Tissue Dynamics and Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Goettingen, Germany.	Versatile for Many Applications The device works with most sample types, including cleared and fixed cells/tissues. Using optical sectioning, it is possible to image thick samples well beyond the limit of a regular widefield microscope and at any magnification.

Widefield (left) and SILA (right) images of a whole planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea in 20x, showing the intestines. Blue: DAPI. Green: inner intestine cells; Red: outer intestine cells. Samples provided by Amrutha Palavalli, Department for Tissue Dynamics and Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Goettingen, Germany.

Versatile for Many Applications

The device works with most sample types, including cleared and fixed cells/tissues. Using optical sectioning, it is possible to image thick samples well beyond the limit of a regular widefield microscope and at any magnification.

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Applied Technologies

Sharp Images from Deep Samples

The technology offers a high penetration depth. Since the speckles remain sharp at depth, you retain the same optical sectioning capabilities as you go deeper.

Overview acquired at 4x, detailed scan is an extended focal image (EFI) of a 19um Z series acquired at 20x . Blue: DAPI, Green: GFAP (astrocytes), Yellow: IbaI (microglia). Red: NeuN (neurons). Samples provided by Institute of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Paracelsus Medical University, Austria.

Easy to Adjust

The SILA optical sectioning device scans over large field of views in a short amount of time.

Fast Processing with the Ability to Visualize Optically Sectioned Images in Live View

The SILA optical sectioning device rapidly removes out-of-focus elements using two illuminated images that are mathematically processed. Based on HiLo microscopy technology, the image is obtained using a combination of hardware and software. The SILA calculations run on a GPU during image acquisition, so it is also possible to preview the optical sectioning capabilities directly on the live image. Use one parameter to remove out-of-focus light above and below the focus plane, similar to adjusting a confocal pinhole.

Simple for Anyone to Use

Only one parameter needs to be adjusted to obtain the sectioned images: the sectioning thickness. There’s no need to post-process the images like in deconvolution and no need to calculate the point spread function (PSF) of the objects.

	Easily Upgrade Your Existing VS200 Slide Scanner The SILA module can be ordered as an upgrade kit and easily installed by our service personnel to any VS200 base unit or loader system, making it possible to obtain optically sectioned images without buying a new system.

Easily Upgrade Your Existing VS200 Slide Scanner

The SILA module can be ordered as an upgrade kit and easily installed by our service personnel to any VS200 base unit or loader system, making it possible to obtain optically sectioned images without buying a new system.

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Applications

Works in a Range of Applications

Use the SILA optical sectioning device to image cleared, fixed samples of different thicknesses. It is especially useful for neurobiology, botany, organoid research, entomology, developmental biology, and tissue regeneration.

Organoid
Organoid Widefield (left) and SILA (right) images of an organoid sample acquired at 20x. A Z-series of 20um thickness is acquired and processed with extended focal imaging (EFI). The organoid was imaged with 405 nm, 488 nm, 561 nm, and 638 nm excitation. Samples provided by a customer in Europe.

Lily Flowers
Widefield (left) and SILA (right) images of SILA extended focal image (EFI) of a 12 µm lily flower bud acquired at 20x, showing both the whole and enlarged view. Yellow and red: autofluorescence signal at 561 nm and 638 nm excitation.

SILA image of a 40um mouse brain sagittal section. Overview acquired at 4x, detailed scan is an extended focal image (EFI) of a 19um Z series acquired at 20x . Blue: DAPI, Green: GFAP (astrocytes), Yellow: IbaI (microglia). Red: NeuN (neurons). Samples provided by Institute of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Paracelsus Medical University, Austria.	Flexible Fixed Cell Imaging Acquire 2D and 3D images: (live SILA image to set up the conditions), Z-stacks, stitching, and EFI. Multichannel acquisition: can be used with up to 4 channels (405, 488, 561, and 638 nm excitation wavelengths).

SILA image of a 40um mouse brain sagittal section. Overview acquired at 4x, detailed scan is an extended focal image (EFI) of a 19um Z series acquired at 20x . Blue: DAPI, Green: GFAP (astrocytes), Yellow: IbaI (microglia). Red: NeuN (neurons). Samples provided by Institute of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Paracelsus Medical University, Austria.

Flexible Fixed Cell Imaging

Acquire 2D and 3D images: (live SILA image to set up the conditions), Z-stacks, stitching, and EFI.

Multichannel acquisition: can be used with up to 4 channels (405, 488, 561, and 638 nm excitation wavelengths).

Optimized for Thick Samples

Obtain a high penetration depth as the speckles remain sharp the deeper you go.

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Specifications

Compatible System		VS200 SLIDEVIEW Slide Scanner with Fluorescence
Intended Specimen	Observable Specimen	Glass slide with cover glass
	Thickness of Cover Glass	0.12–0.17 mm
	Thickness of Specimen	Up to 0.3 mm
Imaging	Observation Methods	Fluorescence—optical sectioning with speckle illumination
	Magnification	4x, 10x, 20x, 40x, 60x, and 100x (incl. selected oil immersion and silicon oil immersion objectives)
	Sectioning Thickness	1 to 10 x depth of field of the objective in use
	Exposure	Minimum: 50 ms
	Scan Time	Approx 14 minutes (20x objective scan area 15 mm × 15 mm, 4 channels, 50 ms exposure each)
Light Source	Wavelengths	395 nm, 405 nm, 445 nm, 488 nm, 515 nm, 532 nm, 561 nm, 594 nm, 638 nm, 690 nm, 730 nm, 785nm
	Optical Fiber	Single mode fiber (connector: FC/APC)
	Laser combiner	Laser Power: 100 mW AC adapter: 15VDC, 7A
Software Solution	ASW solution license	SILA acquisition (VS20-SILA)
SILA Hardware	Dimensions (H × W × D)	72.0 mm × 98.7 mm × 88.5 mm (2.8 in. × 3.9 in. × 3.5 in.) Weight: 520 g (1.1 lb)
	Operating Environment	Temperature: 12–28 °C (53.6–82.4 °F) Humidity: up to 80% (31 °C or 87.8 °F) Altitude: 2000 m (6561.7 ft)
	Power	5 VDC, 0.5 A
	TTL control Input	SMA connector Threshold: 3.0 V