title: A micro-patterned silicon chip as sample holder for macromolecular crystallography experiments with minimal background scattering.
abstract: At low emittance synchrotron sources it has become possible to perform structure determinations from the measurement of multiple microcrystals which were previously considered too small for diffraction experiments. Conventional mounting techniques do not fulfill the requirements of these new experiments. They significantly contribute to background scattering and it is difficult to locate the crystals, making them incompatible with automated serial crystallography. We have developed a micro-fabricated sample holder from single crystalline silicon with micropores, which carries up to thousands of crystals and significantly reduces the background scattering level. For loading, the suspended microcrystals are pipetted onto the chip and excess mother liquor is subsequently soaked off through the micropores. Crystals larger than the pore size are retained and arrange themselves according to the micropore pattern. Using our chip we were able to collect 1.5 Å high resolution diffraction data from protein microcrystals with sizes of 4 micrometers and smaller.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roedig
authors.affiliation: Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vartiainen
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source Ltd., Diamond House, Harwell Science &Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panneerselvam
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stübe
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lorbeer
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.affiliation: 1] Diamond Light Source Ltd., Diamond House, Harwell Science &Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, United Kingdom [2] Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weckert
authors.affiliation: Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source Ltd., Diamond House, Harwell Science &Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Photon Science, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meents