Size distribution measurement device, size distribution measurement method, and sample container
AssigneeHitachi High-Tech Science Corporation
InventorsYumiko Anzai, Kentaro Osawa, Hiroyuki Minemura, Hiroyuki Nishihara, Masakazu Sugaya
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Abstract
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical measurement technology capable of quantitatively measuring a size distribution of a particle that performs Brownian motion in a sample. A size distribution measurement device according to the present invention measures a reflected light intensity while scanning a focal point position along an optical axis direction of measurement light, and calculates the size distribution of the particle according to the highest reflected light intensity of the measured reflected light intensities (refer to FIG. 9).
Claims15
A size distribution measurement device that measures a size distribution of a particle in a liquid sample containing the particle, the device comprising:
- a light source that emits light;
- a scanning unit that scans a focal point position of the light along an optical axis direction of the light;
- a detector that detects an intensity of the light reflected from the sample;
- and
- a calculation unit that calculates a size of the particle by using the intensity,
- wherein the scanning unit scans the focal point position of the light so that the light following a movement of the particle in the optical axis direction is reflected from respectively different positions in the optical axis direction of the particle in a state where the particle moves in the optical axis direction in the sample, and
- the calculation unit calculates the size of the particle by using a maximum light intensity of the intensities of the light for each focal point position of the light along the optical axis direction.
A size distribution measurement method that measures a size distribution of a particle in a liquid sample containing the particle, the method comprising:
- a step of irradiating the sample with light emitted from a light source;
- a scanning step of scanning a focal point position of the light along an optical axis direction of the light;
- a step of detecting an intensity of the light reflected from the sample;
- and
- a calculation step of calculating a size of the particle by using the intensity,
- wherein in the scanning step, when a scanning interval of the light in the optical axis direction is defined as Δd, a resolution of the size distribution measurement method in the optical axis direction is defined as Δz, a diffusion coefficient of the particle is defined as D, and the number of scans per second of the focal point position of the light in the optical axis direction is defined as a frame rate, the focal point position is scanned at the frame rate of (γ×D)/(Δz×Δd) (γ is a constant) or more.
A sample container that stores a liquid sample containing a particle of which size is measured by being irradiated with light, the container comprising:
- a storage hole for storing the sample;
- and
- a gas discharge portion that releases a gas contained in the sample stored in the storage hole from the storage hole,
- wherein a bottom surface of the storage hole is sealed with a transmissive substrate that transmits light,
- a diameter of the storage hole is 2.5 to 4 mm,
- the gas discharge portion is formed of a gap portion protruding from an inner wall of the storage hole with respect to a base material of the sample container,
- the inner wall of the storage hole has a curved shape,
- one or two of the gap portions are formed on the inner wall of the storage hole, and
- the gap portion is connected to the storage hole at least at a bottom portion of the storage hole.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.