Heating Stage VaHeat®
0.01°C
Unbiased temperature feedback from the sample
100°C/s
Fast heating rates of up to 100°C/s
200°C
Extended temperature range up to 200°C
VaHeat is a heating stage that enables fast, precise temperature control for optical microscopes. It offers localized heating with direct temperature sensing within the sample volume, ideal for studying temperature-sensitive processes in life sciences and materials research.
Highly modular system design
VAHEAT lets you control the temperature inside the field-of-view (FOV) independently from the type of microscope objective or the objective’s temperature. The system is designed as standalone unit without the need for any additional modifications to the optical setup (e.g objective heater) in order to avoid a temperature sink in your field of view.
0.01 °C (rms)
Unbiased temperature feedback
No more heatsinks in your field-of-view – VAHEAT utilizes Smart Substrates to integrate a temperature probe directly into your sample volume, ensuring unparalleled temperature precision and real-time feedback with a precision as low as 0.01 °C (rms).
80 °C
Diffraction-limited even at high temperatures
Achieve no optical aberration up to 80°C, even with the highest numerical aperture objectives without damaging them, thanks to our monolithic system design. Ideal for single-molecule, super-resolution, and extreme condition studies. For more details, see Technical Performance.
Rapid temperature control
VAHEAT enables swift changes in sample temperature, reaching rates of up to 100 °C/s for heating and -20 °C/s for cooling. This allows for precise, real-time studies of temperature sensitive processes.
Mechanical stability and device compatibility
VAHEAT ensures no thermal drifts or vibrations, even at elevated temperatures, allowing precise single-molecule localization. Designed for compatibility with all commercial microscopes, VAHEAT requires no additional setup modifications. Its rapid thermal response significantly reduces waiting times compared to conventional heating systems.
High-temperature imaging
Expand your experimental temperature range to 100°C (standard) or up to
200°C (extended) based on your research needs.
The standard version is compatible with oil-immersion systems, while the extended version is designed for use with air objectives.
The VaHeat system’s core is its smart substrates, which integrate a transparent thin-film heating element with a highly sensitive temperature probe. These substrates fit into the microscope adapter, which connects to the control unit. Once the connection is established, precise temperature measurement begins, allowing for accurate heating control. The microscope adapter, with dimensions of 75 mm x 25 mm (3” x 1”) and a slim 11 mm profile, fits most common microscope stages, ensuring unrestricted access from above. It is thermally insulated, maintaining room temperature even when the sample reaches 200°C.
The smart substrates seamlessly replace conventional coverslips in your workflow. They incorporate a heating element and a highly sensitive temperature sensor, enabling fast and precise temperature control within the field of view while maintaining exceptional imaging quality. Designed as multi-use disposables, these substrates come in various versions tailored to your experimental needs, with heated areas ranging from 5 x 5 mm² to 10 x 13 mm². The sample-facing surface is pure glass and can be chemically functionalized according to your standard protocols.
Smart Substrates
Standard Range SMS-PControl Unit
- Dimensions: 18x18x0.17 (± 0.05) mm³
- Heat area: 5×5 mm² or 10×12 mm²
- Temp. range: RT 105°C
- Absolute temperature precision <0.1°C
- The standard range smart substrates are optimized for high-resolution studies similar to #1.5 coverslips. They have a size of 18 x 18 mm² and a thickness of 170 µm. We specify their full functionality up to 100 °C with heating powers up to 2.5 W. Your sample can be mounted using reservoirs, flow chambers or even your microfluidic device.
Extended Range SMS-ESmart Substrates
- Dimension: 18x18x0.5 mm³
- Heat area: 5×5 mm²
- Temp. range: RT – 200°C
- Absolute temperature precision: <0.5 °C
- The extended range smart substrates are made for temperatures up to 200 °C. They are 500 µm thick, similar to #5 coverslips and are compatible with the extended range control unit. Also here multiple configurations for mounting your sample are available.
We provide a range of substrate options and sample mounting solutions tailored to your application needs, including larger heated areas, dual-chamber reservoirs, flow chambers, and more.
The Control Unit
The control unit is the interface between you and your sample temperature. It displays the current temperature and allows to easily adjust the temperature by turning a single knob. An USB interface grants remote control and synchronization of the system parameters with your image acquisition. Four heating modes are available to meet your specific needs.
Standard RangeControl Unit
The standard range version is meant for studies up to 105 °C. The maximal heating power of 2500 mW is more than enough to ensure thermalization of up to 600 μL sample volume within a few seconds. This system is optimally suited to study live cells or other temperature sensitive processes with high- and super-resolution microscopes.
- PropertiesStandard Range
- Heating Power<2500 mW
- Max temperature105 °C
- ApplicationsLife sciences
Extended RangeControl Unit
The extended range version is meant for studies up to 200 °C. The maximal heating power of 5000 mW boosts your sample temperature to your desired setpoint even when larger thermal loads are attached. This system is made for investigations using air spaced microscope objective for studying e.g. phase transitions or diffusional behavior.
- PropertiesExtended Range
- Heating Power<5000 mW
- Max temperature200 °C
- ApplicationsLife Sciences + Material Sciences + Fast dynamics
VaHeat can be operated in four different modes that will ideally fit your experimental needs.
Auto
The AUTO mode is the basic operating mode of VaHeat. Here, the sample temperature is feedbacked for regulating the applied heating power. A proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control loop ensures to keep the sample at the desired temperature even when external disturbances are present. PID parameters are individually adjustable according to the specifics of your setup.
Direct
The DIRECT mode allows a direct control of the heating power. It is possible to exploit the fastest possible heating dynamics while the feedback loop is switched off. However, the sample temperature can be always measured and streamed to your computer. This mode can be combined with measurements that are especially sensitive to changes in the electrostatic potential as e.g. AFM measurements.
Shock
The SHOCK mode resembles a timed DIRECT mode. For a defined period, a certain heating power will be applied to the sample volume without any feedback loop being active. This allows to exploit the fast-heating dynamics of VaHeat to send heat shocks into your sample.
Profile
The PROFILE mode is a sophisticated version of the feedback mode. It allows you to set well-defined heating rates, cooling rates and holding times. This mode is ideal for complex temperature protocols that need to employ to your sample volume to drive e.g. a chemical reaction or a phase transition.
The platform-independent user interface (UI) enables remote control of the VAHEAT device, allowing you to program custom temperature profiles and stream temperature data directly to your local hard drive. It offers precise, real-time control of sample temperature and heating power. Simply connect the control unit to your computer via USB, and you’re ready to start measurements remotely.
Take a look at the
impressive ranges
VaHeat has to offer.
Play Video
Customer voices
- “The VAHEAT system was exactly what we needed for our research and allowed us to publish our first paper as a research group. The temperature precision of the VAHEAT system allowed us to watch the dynamics of phase transitions in two-dimensional perovskites, which are promising materials for thermal energy storage. By combining the VAHEAT system with our fluorescence microscope, we could easily program heating and cooling temperature ramps and capture dynamic processes that we would not be able to capture with other systems. We are excited to use the VAHEAT system on new systems to explore the dynamics of temperature-dependent phase transitions with precise temperature control.”
Dr. Connor BischakUniversity of Utah - “VAHEAT allows precise and fast temperature control in our TIRF measurements where we are investigating switchable DNA origami mechanisms”
Prof. Hendrik DietzTU Munich - “At the beginning I was a bit skeptical about the substrates. However, they can be cleaned and reused. We have tested several heating systems that can heat above 37°C. This one was by far our favorite”
Dr. Kerstin GöpfrichMPI for Medical Research, Heidelberg - “I had a chance to work with VAHEAT at the Woods Hole Physiology course. We combined VAHEAT with our custom microfluidic devices and imaged live archaeal cells for single-cell growth curves of many different species. We leveraged VAHEAT fine temperature controls to create gradient ramps over long periods of time time to optimize the growth of mixed populations. VAHEAT is a great tool for cell biologists that rely on challenging temperature ranges, and it can be even better with a larger heated surface area to allow multi-fluidic channels for high-throughput imaging.”
Dr. Alexandre BissonBrandeis University - “One part of my laboratory works on transcription factors in the germline of C.elegans and liquid-liquid phase separation. Temperature dependence is one of the better ways to show whether protein foci are formed by a phase transition mechanism or not. I have done temperature dependent experiments in the past with a home built system and I know how difficult it is. Compared to that, the VAHEAT system is really easy to use across many microscopes and samples. We use it for C.elegans, zebrafish and single cells.”
Dr. Senthil ArumugamEMBL Australia/Monash University - “We use the VAHEAT to bring low molecular weight polymers to temperatures just above their glass transition temperature to study molecular motions and dynamic heterogeneity at the single molecule level in these systems. The fact that the VAHEAT allows us to achieve and maintain the temperature control needed on a coverslip in turn allows us to simultaneously perform imaging with the highest numerical aperture objectives available, maximizing collection of photons and limiting localization error of fluorescent probes. This ability facilitates characterization of translational mobility in these complex systems.”
Prof. Laura KaufmanColumbia University, New York City - “The instructions and equipment were very clear and intuitive to use. We very much enjoyed the magnets that lock components into place. In use, the temperature changed very rapidly according to the VAHEAT reading, though I allowed some extra time to equilibrate as my material is not very conductive. I need to carry out further analysis, but I am seeing what I expected to see in my results. The biggest advantage was indeed that I didn’t see any thermal drift: I didn’t need to refocus during my experiments, which is fantastic because I wanted to see fluorescence emission intensity in a single controlled plane. Overall, I think very highly of the VAHEAT and it was immensely helpful to me.”
Dr. Liz BirchallUniversity of Nottingham - “Thanks to VAHEAT, we were able to perform live imaging of cell divisions in thermophilic Archaea for the first time in our lab. Another application, where we successfully used the instrument was to capture the swimming behaviour of Sulfolobus.”
Dr. Marleen van WolferenUniversity of Freiburg - “I tested VAHEAT in my experiments, where I image fluorescent thermoresponsive polymers. I found the device very useful and decided to purchase it. I combined the Smart Substrates with silicon spacers and another coverslip to form a custom small volume imaging chamber ideally suited for my samples.”
Serena TeoraRadboud University - “I have tested VAHEAT in live cell imaging and for in vitro experiments with protein condensation. The device performance convinced me and I think that it could be another flexible option for temperature control for our users. I liked VAHEAT also as a “mere” temperature sensor. Perfect for quality control options for facility people, but also for individual users.”
Dr. Josef GotzmannHead of BioOptics Facility, Max Perutz labs - “We were testing VAHEAT for two photon imaging of cellular processes in neurons. We were able to grow neuronal cultures on the Smart Substrates, although only mixed cultures and not pure primary neurons. The device itself worked well. I recorded SHG images and temperature was stable during the recordings. Personally I find this a quite handy device.”
Tobias MartensCell Imaging Core at KU Leuven - “We are running experiments on DNA-modified self-assembling colloidal particles. We operate in a very narrow temperature range of 0.5°C around the melting temperature of our DNA oligonucleotides. For this type of measurement we have found VAHEAT heating stage very useful. In our setup, we used a bare VAHEAT substrate and glued a capillary on top of it. We filled the capillary with our solution, which allowed us to use a small sample volume, maintain very stable temperature over long periods of time, not having to worry about temperature drift or evaporation. This setup gave us sufficient control over the temperature to manipulate crystallization in our colloidal system.”
Dr. Bas van RavensteijnEindhoven University of Technology (Currently: Utrecht University) - “We tested VAHEAT in live cell imaging to heat shock our yeast strains containing temperature sensitive alleles and it helped our meiosis research. I have done many temperature shift experiments with using different systems and it can be quite challenging. Personally, I find the VAHEAT system is really easy to use compared to that. It can be even better with a larger and divided surface area to allow imaging of different strains at the same time.”
Dr. Tugce Oz YoldasMPI of Biochemistry, Martinsried - “Thank you for providing us with such a reliable way to control the temperature of our samples. You revolutionized the way we do heat shock!”
Dr. Linda RubioLSU Health, Shreveport
Play Video
