Fluorescence imaging system
US5943129A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 7, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/6445
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fluorescence imaging system for epi-illumination wherein the usual dichroic beamsplitter is replaced by a polarizing beamsplitter (PBS). The sample is excited with light that is linearly polarized to a significant degree, and fluorescent emission light is collected in the orthogonal linear polarization state. Excitation light that is scattered or reflected by the sample is rejected by the PBS, while the desired emission light is captured for imaging by a detector. By eliminating the usual dichroic beamsplitter member, the imaging system removes the barriers to multi-spectral imaging that such members conventionally impose. A wavelength-selective birefringent network may also be interposed between the beamsplitter and the sample for converting the polarization of either the excitation or the emission light to the orthogonal state without defeating this desirable rejection property, thus permitting measurement of the sample emissions in either or both linear polarization states for assessing fluorescence polarization.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.