ibidi : Heating System Slide/Dish – Silver Line

A heating system for live cell imaging applications that require stable and homogenous temperature for high resolution microscopy

Easy installation on every inverted microscope that has a holder for multiwell plates
Optimal for high-resolution live cell microscopy due to maximal xyz-stability on the microscope stage
Brilliant images without disturbing condensation on the lid
For long-term physiologic conditions on the microscope with precisely controlled temperature, humidity, CO₂, and O₂, ibidi offers Stage Top Incubators, which combine the ibidi Heating System and the ibidi Gas Incubation System

System includes:

ibidi Temperature Controller – Silver Line
Incubation Chamber Slide/Dish – Silver Line
Dish Holder
Slide Holder

Applications

The ibidi Heating System is ideal for live cell imaging experiments that require physiologic conditions on the microscope.

Combined with the ibidi Gas Incubation System, it serves as a complete Stage Top Incubator, precisely controlling essential parameters such as temperature, humidity, and CO₂/O₂ levels on the microscope to get reproducible results of, for example:

The ibidi Heating System is optimized for high-resolution imaging applications that require extra focus stability, for example:

Find Out MorePlease find more detailed information about the planning, conduction, and data analysis of live cell imaging assays here or download the whole “Live Cell Imaging” Application Guide as a PDF here.

Specifications

Temperature Controller – Silver Line
Dimensions	90 x 170 x 230 mm³
Weight	1.75 kg / 3.86 lbs
External power supply	AC 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, 2 A

Incubation Chamber Slide/Dish – Silver Line
Temperature control range	Heated Lid: 5 degrees higher than ambient temperature (min. 18°C) to 50°C Heated Plate: 5 degrees higher than ambient temperature (min. 18°C) to 46°C
Temperature stability	+/- 0.2°C
Fitting cell culture vessels	1 slide (e.g., 25.5 x 75.5 mm², 25 x 74 mm², 25 x 57 mm², or 26 x 58 mm²); 1 dish, 35 mm diameter
Heated Plate dimensions	127.5 x 85.5 x 15 mm³ (fits standard multiwell holders)
Heated Lid dimensions	127.5 x 85.5 x 20 mm³
Height of the assembled Incubation Chamber	28 mm
Weight of the assembled Incubation Chamber (without Slide/Dish Holder)	230 g / 0.51 lbs (without cable) 320 g / 0.71 (with cable)
Weight Dish Holder	50 g / 0.11 lbs
Weight Slide Holder	20 g / 0.04 lbs
Gas inlet	Push-in fitting for tubing with OD 4 mm
Objective lens restrictions
Optical	None
Geometrical	Possible collision with large objectives near the edges, narrowing the field of view

Technical Features

Easy installation on every inverted microscope that has a holder for multiwell plates
Highest focus stability during microscopy due to heat regulation by continuous current (minimum temperature/z-position fluctuations)
Highest xy-stability on the microscope stage due to the clamping mechanism of the Heated Plate
Brilliant images without disturbing condensation on the lid due to optimal heat distribution across the Heated Lid
Suitable for oil immersion microscopy when used with the Objective Heater Universal – Silver Line (not included)
Suitable for DIC microscopy and TIRF
Slide Holder included, with leveling option, for using chamber slides, channel slides, and chambered coverslips, including all ibidi µ-Slides (see Instructions for details)
Dish Holder included, with leveling option, for using 35 mm dishes with different wall heights, including the µ-Dish^{35 mm, high} and the µ-Dish^{35 mm, low}
Can be combined with the ibidi Gas Incubation System to create a complete Stage Top Incubator for long-term physiologic conditions on the microscope with controlled temperature, humidity, CO₂, and O₂
Humidity sensor is integrated into the Heated Lid and close to the sample
Reduced number of cables for easy handling
Includes IncuControl software for instrument control and data recording via a notebook
Includes external temperature sensor (e.g., for measuring the sample temperature during calibration of the system)

The Principle of the ibidi Heating System – Silver Line

Cells react sensitively to changes in their environment. Factors such as temperature, humidity/evaporation, and CO₂/O₂ levels significantly influence the outcome of cell culture assays. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain optimal conditions during live cell imaging experiments on the microscope stage to achieve biologically relevant and reproducible results.

The ibidi Heating System creates stable and homogenous temperatures for high-resolution live cell microscopy. It fits into inverted microscope stages with a universal mounting frame for multiwell plates. It consists of the ibidi Temperature Controller, the ibidi Incubation Chamber (Heated Lid and Heated Plate), plus a Dish Holder and a Slide Holder. When placed in the ibidi Incubation Chamber, the microscopy slides or dishes are kept at a stable, defined temperature during the live cell imaging experiment on the microscope.

For full control of the incubation environment, ibidi offers Stage Top Incubators, which combine the ibidi Heating System and the ibidi Gas Incubation System, to regulate humidity, temperature, CO₂, and (optionally) O₂ concentrations.

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Brilliant Images Without Condensation

The temperature of the Heated Lid of the ibidi Heating System – Silver Line is independently controlled and optimally distributed, thereby solving the frequently occurring problem of condensation during live cell imaging.

A vertical temperature gradient is created by heating the lid to a temperature higher than the plate (e.g., 40°C). This gradient and the active humidity control by the ibidi Gas Incubation System prevent condensation on the lid of the cell culture vessel, which is crucial for non-disturbed high-quality microscopy images. The Heated Plate maintains the sample temperature at a constant 37 °C.

Stable and Homogeneous Temperature

The ibidi Heating System Slide/Dish – Silver Line, ensures a precisely controlled, stable temperature in the Incubation Chamber with homogeneous distribution across the wells of the cell culture vessel. The temperature is controlled via continuous current, which reliably prevents position fluctuations and makes the system optimal for high-resolution live cell microscopy with a stable focus.

Heat-up Curve

Heat-up curve of the ibidi Heating System Slide/Dish – Silver Line with Dish Holder and µ-Dish^{35 mm, high}, filled with cell culture medium (Sample). The heat-up curve of the ibidi Heating System was recorded at an environmental temperature of 24°C (± 0.3°C). Plate and Lid reached their target temperature within 10 minutes. After complete equilibration of the sample to 37°C within 40 min, the sample temperature stayed at 37.0°C (± 0.2°C).

Sample Temperature Stability

Sample temperature stability inside the ibidi Heating System Slide/Dish – Silver Line with Dish Holder and µ-Dish^{35 mm, high}, filled with cell culture medium (Sample). After equilibration of the sample inside the Heating System, the environment temperatures were increased stepwise (17°C → 20°C → 23°C → 26°C; max 27.7 °C). The temperature of the sample inside the Heating System stably stayed at 36.9°C (± 0.15°C).

Temperature Distribution

Stable and consistent temperature distribution in the µ-Slide 8 Well^high (left) and the µ-Dish^{35 mm, high} (right) during the incubation in the ibidi Heating System Slide/Dish – Silver Line. Images were acquired with a FLIR thermal camera.

High Magnification and Immersion Oil Microscopy: Objective Heater Extension

The ibidi Heating System – Silver Line can be extended with the Objective Heater Universal – Silver Line. Microscope objectives that require close approximation to the sample (e.g., water or oil immersion objectives) might cause cooling of the sample by thermal transfer from the sample to the objective, when the objective is not heated. Adequate heating of the objective by the Objective Heater prevents cooling of the sample, enabling long-term high-resolution imaging of living cells.

Experimental Examples

Time lapse of a B16-F1 mouse melanoma cell migrating on the laminin-coated surface of the µ-Dish^{35 mm, high} Glass Bottom. Phase contrast microscopy images were acquired over a a period of 10 minutes in the ibidi Stage Top Incubator Slide/Dish, CO₂ – Silver Line using a 100x immersion objective on an Olympus X-81 microscope.
Data by Jonas Scholz and Prof. Jan Faix, Hannover Medical School, Germany.

Time lapse TIRF imaging showing focal adhesion dynamics of a mutant NIH-3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast cell, which was transfected with EGFP-Paxillin, in a µ-Dish^{35 mm, high} Glass Bottom. TIRF microscopy images were acquired over a period of 12 hours in the ibidi Stage Top Incubator Slide/Dish, CO₂ – Silver Line using a TIRF 100x immersion objective on a Nikon Eclipse microscope.
Data by Jonas Scholz and Prof. Jan Faix, Hannover Medical School, Germany.

Brightfield ROCS (Rotating Coherent Scattering) microscopy of living A549 lung cancer cells using a self-made ROCS microscope, recorded with a 445 nm laser within 10 minutes (2 images per second). The cells were cultured in the µ-Dish^{35 mm, high} Glass Bottom. Live cell imaging was conducted using the ibidi Stage Top Incubator Slide/Dish – Silver Line.
Data by Dominik Huber and Alexander Rohrbach, Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany.

Jünger, F., Ruh, D., Strobel, D., Michiels, R., Huber, D., Brandel, A., Madl, J., Gavrilov, A., Mihlan, M., Daller, C. C., Rog-Zielinska, E. A., Römer, W., Lämmermann, T., Rohrbach, A. 100 Hz ROCS microscopy correlated with fluorescence reveals cellular dynamics on different spatiotemporal scales. Nature Communications, 2022, 10.1038/s41467-022-29091-0.
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