Direct Electron supplies high‑performance direct detection cameras for transmission electron microscopy, replacing conventional detectors with event‑based or ultra‑fast MAPS sensors.
Funding
$2.3M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments often suffer from limited detector speed, pixel count, and sensitivity, which restrict data throughput, resolution, and the ability to capture fast or low-dose phenomena such as cryo‑EM single particles or 4D STEM dynamics.
Solution
Direct Electron provides high‑performance direct detection cameras that replace conventional TEM detectors with event‑based or ultra‑fast MAPS sensors. Their Apollo camera delivers hardware electron counting and super‑resolution frames, enabling up to ten‑fold higher beam brightness and dramatically shorter exposure times for cryo‑EM. The Celeritas family offers ultra‑fast 4D STEM imaging with frame rates and pixel counts far exceeding competing systems, supporting large‑area strain mapping and time‑resolved in‑situ experiments. Complementary models (DE‑16, DE‑64, LV‑16) cover a range of formats from 4k × 4k to true 8k × 8k fields of view, and the DE‑FreeScan scan generator adds programmable scanning capabilities. All cameras are paired with a unified software suite that provides real‑time visualization, advanced acquisition algorithms, and open APIs for integration with third‑party tools, while Ph.D. microscopists offer expert support throughout the research workflow.
Target Audience
Primary customers are research laboratories and core facilities that operate transmission electron microscopes for structural biology, materials science, and in‑situ STEM studies, including cryo‑EM groups, 4D STEM users, and low‑voltage microscopy teams.
Features
- Event‑based hardware electron counting in the Apollo detector, delivering super‑resolution (67 MP) frames at ultra‑high speed
- Celeritas and Celeritas XS cameras provide at least four‑times more pixels and frame rates than competing 4D STEM detectors
- Large‑format sensors: DE‑64 offers a true 8k × 8k array; DE‑16 provides 4k × 4k with 6.5 µm pixels for high MTF across magnifications
- LV‑16 is the only commercially available direct detector optimized for low‑voltage electron microscopy
- DE‑FreeScan programmable scan generator enables compressive‑sensing and custom scan patterns for STEM/SEM
- Integrated software suite with fast, responsive UI, real‑time data visualization, and open SDK/API for third‑party control (e.g., SerialEM, Leginon)
- Compatibility with major TEM manufacturers (JEOL, Thermo Fisher, Hitachi) and ability to mount behind energy filters or alongside existing detectors
- Dedicated support from Ph.D. microscopists throughout installation, operation, and data analysis