Telecentric, wide-field fluorescence scanning systems and methods

A method of imaging a fluorescent material that absorbs light in an absorption band of wavelengths and that emits fluorescent light in an emission band of wavelengths, the method comprising:

• a) illuminating a first portion of a fluorescent material on a sample platform with an illumination beam having excitation light in the absorption band;
• and
• b) detecting emissions from the first portion of fluorescent material using a detector system including a light detector having an array of sensing locations, a bi-telecentric optical imaging system, a first filter that passes wavelengths of light other than the excitation light, the first filter being positioned in a first light path between the sample platform and an entry aperture stop of the bi-telecentric optical imaging system, and a second filter that passes wavelengths of light in the emission band, the second filter being positioned in a second light path between the light detector and an exit aperture stop of the bi-telecentric optical imaging system,
• wherein the bi-telecentric optical imaging system includes imaging optics arranged and positioned such that a first telecentric space exists in the first light path between the sample platform and the entry aperture stop wherein Principal rays from a plurality of field points on the sample platform are parallel to each other when passing through the first filter;
• and such that a second telecentric space exists in the second light path between the light detector and the exit aperture stop wherein the Principal rays from the plurality of field points are parallel to each other when passing through the second filter, and
• wherein contiguous field points on the sample platform are simultaneously imaged onto contiguous sensing locations on the detector to form a first detector image.