<P> Microscope slides are usually made of optical quality glass, such as soda lime glass or borosilicate glass, but specialty plastics are also used . Fused quartz slides are often used when ultraviolet transparency is important, e.g. in fluorescence microscopy . </P> <P> While plain slides are the most common, there are several specialized types . A concavity slide or cavity slide has one or more shallow depressions ("wells"), designed to hold slightly thicker objects, and certain samples such as liquids and tissue cultures . Slides may have rounded corners for increased safety or robustness, or a cut - off corner for use with a slide clamp or cross-table, where the slide is secured by a spring - loaded curved arm contacting one corner, forcing the opposing corner of the slide against a right angled arm which does not move . If this system were used with a slide which did not incorporate these cut - off corners, the corners would chip and the slide could shatter . </P> <P> A graticule slide is marked with a grid of lines (for example, a 1 mm grid) that allows the size of objects seen under magnification to be easily estimated and provides reference areas for counting minute objects . Sometimes one square of the grid will itself be subdivided into a finer grid . Slides for specialized applications, such as cell counting, may have various reservoirs, channels and barriers etched or ground on their upper surface . Various permanent markings or masks may be printed, sand - blasted, or deposited on the surface by the manufacturer, usually with inert materials such as PTFE . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> A Neubauer slide for cell counting . </Td> <Td> Microscope image of a Neubauer slide's graticule being used to count cells . </Td> <Td> A Neubauer slide held in place on a microscope stand by a slide clamp on a cross-table . </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Label the parts of a slide being made