# US 2014/0151529 A1 · Optical detectors and methods of using them

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- Number: US 2014/0151529 A1
- Document ID: US20140151529A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/082,685
- Filed: 2013-11-18
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-19
- Assignees: PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc.
- Inventors: Urs Steiner; Daniel Robert Marshak
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151529A1

## CPC

- H01J 43/20: Dynodes consisting of sheet material, e.g. plane, bent
- G01J 1/44: Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)}
- G01J 2001/4453: {PMT}
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)

## Abstract

Certain embodiments described herein are directed to optical detector and optical systems. In some examples, the optical detector can include a plurality of dynodes, in which one or more of the dynodes are coupled to an electrometer. In other configurations, each dynode can be coupled to a respective electrometer. Methods using the optical detectors are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical system configured to receive photons, the optical system comprising a photocathode, an anode and a plurality of dynodes, between the photocathode and the anode, in which each of the plurality of dynodes is configured to amplify a signal from the photons received by the photocathode, in which each of the plurality of dynodes is electrically coupled to a respective electrometer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical system of claim 1, further comprising a first processor electrically coupled to each electrometer, in which each electrometer is electrically isolated from other electrometers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which the first processor is configured to measure the input or output current into each respective dynode.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which the first processor is configured to calculate a mean input current using received input current signals and using the gain of the respective dynode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which the first processor is configured to calculate a gain of a first dynode by comparing a supply current of the first dynode to a supply current of a dynode immediately upstream of the first dynode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which each electrometer is electrically coupled to a signal converter to provide simultaneous digital signals to the processor from each of the plurality of dynodes.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The optical system of claim 6, in which the signal converter comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The optical system of claim 7, further comprising a respective power converter electrically coupled to each electrometer and analog-to-digital converter pair.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which the first processor is configured to measure all dynode currents simultaneously.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The optical system of claim 2, in which the first processor is configured to prevent a current overload at each dynode.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The optical system of claim 10, in which the first processor is configured to alter the voltage at a saturated dynode or a dynode downstream from the saturated dynode.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The optical system of claim 11, in which the first processor is configured to invert the polarity of the voltage of the saturated dynode or an adjacent dynode to the saturated dynode.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The optical system of claim 10, in which the first processor is configured to prevent any substantial secondary electron emission to a downstream dynode adjacent to the dynode where the saturation current is detected.

### Claim at position 14

14-16. (canceled)

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The optical system of claim 1, in which the optical detector is configured to provide independent voltage control at each dynode of the plurality of dynodes.

### Claim 18

(canceled)

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The optical system of claim 1, in which dynamic range of current measurement is greater than 1010 when measuring at 100 kHz.

### Claim at position 18

20-25. (canceled)

### Claim 26

An optical system configured to receive an optical emission from a sample, the optical system comprising a photocathode, an anode and a plurality of dynodes, between the photocathode and the anode, each configured to amplify the optical emission received by the photocathode, in which at least one of the dynodes is electrically coupled to an electrometer.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The optical system of claim 26, further comprising at least one additional electrometer electrically coupled to one of the plurality of dynodes.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The optical system of claim 27, further comprising a first processor electrically coupled to each electrometer and configured to measure the input or output current into each respective dynode, in which each electrometer is electrically isolated from other electrometers.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The optical system of claim 28, in which at least one dynode without a respective electrometer is positioned between dynodes that are electrically coupled to an electrometer.

### Claim 30 (depends on 26)

The optical system of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of electrometers, in which every other dynode is electrically coupled to an electrometer.

### Claim at position 24

31-133. (canceled)