Cryo-EM✓ External Access

Characterization Facility (CharFac) Electron Microscopy

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

📍 MINNEAPOLIS, MN · Website ↗

The Characterization Facility at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis runs the university's shared electron microscopy instruments, including cryo-EM. Its cryo-capable roster is a 200 kV Glacios 2, an Aquilos 2 cryo-FIB/SEM, a Talos F200C, a Tecnai G2 F30 and a Tecnai Spirit Bio-Twin, plus a Hitachi SU8230 cryo-SEM. It is separate from the Hormel Institute cryo-EM facility in Austin, which holds the university's Titan Krios instruments.

Equipment Inventory(8 instruments)

Roster verified against the facility's own published instrument list, September 2026.

Helios NanoLab G4

Unknown manufacturer

FIB-SEM
Configuration: FIB/SEM, not cryo

Aquilos 2

Thermo Fisher Scientific · Cryo-FIB Milling

FIB-SEM
Configuration: Cryo-FIB/SEM for lamella preparation; also listed under the SEM group

Hitachi SU8230

Unknown manufacturer

SEM
Configuration: Field emission cryo-SEM

Tecnai T12

×2

Thermo Fisher Scientific

TEM
Configuration: FEI Tecnai Spirit Bio-Twin cryo-TEM and a separate Tecnai T12; counted as two 120 kV instruments

Glacios 2

Thermo Fisher Scientific · Single Particle / Screening

TEM
Voltage: 200 kV
Configuration: 200 kV cryo-TEM. Detector not published.

Talos F200X

Thermo Fisher Scientific · S/TEM

TEM
Configuration: Analytical S/TEM, materials

Talos F200C

Thermo Fisher Scientific · Screening

TEM
Configuration: Cryo-capable S/TEM

Tecnai F30

Thermo Fisher Scientific

TEM
Configuration: FEI Tecnai G2 F30 field emission gun, listed as a cryo-TEM

Rates

This facility publishes its rates as a document rather than a web page. View the facility's rate document →