Optical detectors and methods of using them
AssigneePerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc.
InventorsUrs Steiner, Daniel Robert Marshak
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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.
Claims19
An optical system configured to receive photons, the optical system comprising a photocathode configured to receive the photons, 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 an electron signal representative of the photons received by the photocathode, in which each of the plurality of dynodes is electrically coupled to a respective electrometer to provide a plurality of dynode-electrometer pairs;
- and
- a first processor electrically coupled to each respective electrometer, in which the first processor is configured to measure an output signal from each dynode of the plurality of dynode-electrometer pairs and to terminate signal amplification at a saturated dynode of the plurality of dynode-electrometer pairs.
An optical system configured to receive an optical emission from a sample, the optical system comprising a photocathode configured to receive the optical emission, an anode and a plurality of dynodes, between the photocathode and the anode, each dynode configured to amplify an electrical signal representative of the optical emission received by the photocathode, in which every other dynode of the plurality of dynodes is electrically coupled to a respective electrometer to provide a plurality of dynode-electrometer pairs;
- and
- a first processor electrically coupled to each electrometer, in which the first processor is configured to measure an input or output signal from each dynode-electrometer pair and to terminate signal amplification at a saturated dynode of the plurality of dynode-electrometer pairs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.