Micro Gripper MGS2
A two-jaw micro-gripper that picks up, holds and repositions micro-objects inside the electron microscope.
Twenty-nanometre steps, sub-nanometre reach#
The MGS2 turns a Kleindiek micromanipulator into a pair of tiny hands. Two tungsten-tip jaws, each piezo-controlled in 20 nm steps, close on a target within a (5 to 10 µm)² gripping area and a maximum span of 20 to 40 µm — a particle, a nanowire, a freshly cut lamella — so you can lift it, hold it and place it precisely somewhere else inside the microscope. At 28 mm long overall, with a 5 mm tip and 5 mm height, it works inside the same tight confines as the rest of the Kleindiek toolset, with positioning resolution below 1.5 nm and gripping force adjustable from 5 to 5000 µN by overdrive.
The core of an in-situ lift-out shuttle#
Grip a pre-cut lamella with the MGS2 and you skip the ion-beam-induced deposition a single probe tip needs to free a sample — no IBID contamination, and the release is fast and intuitive. That is exactly the role it plays inside the Lift-out Shuttle: contact the sample, free it from the surrounding bulk, then hand it to a TEM grid. As a plug-in tool it shares the manipulator’s sub-nanometre positioning and exchanges without tools for the rest of the Kleindiek lineup, so a single arm can grip, probe or sense force as the workflow demands. Custom-shaped tips and a cryo-compatible variant are both available. Your existing micromanipulator system can be quickly and easily upgraded for use with the MGS2.
Gallery
A wire gripped between the jaws, imaged at 30 µm — 0.35 nA beam current, 100 µs dwell. 
Approaching a trench-cut sample for lift-out, 2.50 K magnification. 
Lamella freed and gripped, imaged with the FIB at 2 µm. 
The jaws close on a lamella from both sides. 
A custom-shaped tip, its profile and a TEM cross-section of the tip.
Technical data
Dimensions
- Total length
- 28 mm
- Tip length
- 5 mm
- Height
- 5 mm
Gripping
- Gripping area
- (5 to 10 µm)²
- Maximum span range
- 20 to 40 µm
- Gripping force
- 5 to 5000 µN (variable, via overdrive)
- Piezo step size
- 20 nm
- Positioning resolution
- < 1.5 nm
Environment
- Temperature range
- 273 K – 353 K
- Lowest pressure
- 10⁻⁷ mbar
See it run
Advantages
Grasp & place
- Two independently actuated tungsten-tip jaws, piezo-driven in 20 nm steps
- Gripping force set anywhere from 5 to 5000 µN by overdrive
- Ideal for particles, nanowires and TEM lamellae
Built for in-situ lift-out
- Grips a pre-cut lamella directly, avoiding the ion-beam-induced deposition a single probe tip needs
- Forms the core tool of the Lift-out Shuttle sample-preparation platform
- Custom-shaped gripper tips available on request
Plug-in design
- Mounts on the MM3A-EM and MM3E micromanipulators
- Swaps for another Kleindiek plug-in tool without tools, so one arm can grip, probe or sense force in the same session
- Cryo-compatible variant available
Application articles
What is nanomanipulation?
Moving, positioning and assembling individual nano-objects inside the electron microscope.
Stretching cells and tissue
Applying stretch and defined force to cells on elastic substrates and to soft tissue.
Nanomanipulation in the microscope
Pick-and-place and nanowire handling, filmed inside the SEM.
Mechanical stimulation in action
Cell stretch, mechanical stimulation and microdissection, filmed under the microscope.
Related products & accessories
Cryo Lift-Out (CryoLO)
Cryogenic in-situ TEM-lamella lift-out — a cryoMGS-EM microgripper cooled to LN₂ temperature while the MM3A-EM itself stays at room temperature.
View product
iLO Control Software
The graphical lift-out control software — drag-and-drop positioning with automatic beam, rotation and magnification compensation.
View product
MM3E
An encoded, closed-loop micromanipulator — define parking and working positions and recall them at the click of a button.
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MM3A-EM
The industry-standard spherical micromanipulator — the platform every Kleindiek plug-in tool attaches to, with 3000+ units in the field.
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Microtweezer MTW
A piezo-driven microtweezer for pick-and-place — one jaw fixed, one jaw stepping in 0.25 nm increments across a 3 mm span.
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RoTip
A rotational-axis plug-in that adds a fourth degree of freedom — continuous 0.1° rotation for true FIB lathe milling, tomography and STEM.
View productTalk to an application engineer
Tell us your sample and your microscope — we’ll walk you through the workflow and route you to the right regional team.