Apparatus and method for multiple emission ratio photometry and multiple emission ratio imaging
AssigneeAtto Instruments, Inc.
InventorsGary Brooker, J. Scott McDonald, Jeffrey S. Brooker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The concentration of at least one luminescence-affecting chemical species in at least one location in a sample capable of emitting luminescent radiation can be determined using multiple luminescent emission ratio photometry and multiple luminescent emission ratio imaging. An apparatus and method for conducting multiple luminescent emission ratio photometry and imaging is provided.
Claims16
A method for determining the concentration of two luminescence-affecting chemical species in a sample capable of emitting luminescent radiation, comprising the steps of:
- (1) irradiating said sample with excitation radiation of sufficient energy to cause said sample to emit two pairs of independent luminescent emissions, each emission having an intensity, and for each one of said two pairs of independent luminescent emissions, each member of said pair having a common wavelength of excitation radiation or emission radiation and a different wavelength of excitation radiation or emission radiation, such that when said common wavelength is excitation radiation, said different wavelength is emission radiation, and when said common wavelength is emission radiation, said different wavelength is excitation radiation,
- (2) measuring the intensity of each of said two pairs of independent luminescent emissions within a period of time of from about one microsecond to one minute,
- (3) determining, for each of said two pairs of independent luminescent emissions, a ratio of one of said luminescent radiation emission intensities of said pair to the remaining one of said luminescent radiation emission intensities of said pair, and
- (4) correlating each ratio to concentrations of each of said two luminescence-affecting chemical species in said sample.
A method for determining the concentration of two luminescence-affecting chemical species in a sample capable of emitting luminescent radiation, comprising the steps of:
- (1) irradiating a sample having two luminescent substance/luminescence-affecting species complexes with excitation radiation of sufficient energy to cause each luminescent substance/luminescence-affecting species complex in the sample to emit a pair of independent luminescent emissions, each emission having an intensity,
- (2) measuring the intensity of each of the two pairs of independent luminescent emissions within a period of time of from about one microsecond to one minute,
- (3) determining, for each of the luminescent substance/luminescence-affecting species complexes, a ratio of one of the luminescent radiation emission intensities of the to the remaining one of the luminescent radiation emission intensities of the pair, and
- (4) correlating each ratio to concentrations of each of the two luminescence-affecting chemical species in the sample.
An apparatus for producing multiple luminescence ratio images, comprising:
- (A) a light source providing a light beam of sufficient energy to electronically excite at least one luminescent compound in a sample,
- (B) a light filter positioned in the path of the light beam to filter out selected wavelengths of the light beam,
- (C) a dichroic mirror positioned in the path of the filtered light beam to reflect said filtered light beam in the direction of said sample,
- (D) a mounting platform for said sample positioned such that the reflected light beam strikes said sample so that said luminescent compound becomes electronically excited and produces luminescent emissions,
- (E) a detector positioned to receive the reflected luminescent emissions and having an electronic switching device for adjusting the sensitivity of said detector at least four times within a period of time of from about one microsecond to one minute.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.