A highly-reliable absorbance measuring device that enables highly-accurate measurement of absorbance, and a method thereof are provided. A liquid containing unit that can contain a chemical substance solution to be measured, a nozzle that communicates with a suction/discharge mechanism that sucks/discharges gas, a flow tube that includes a mouth part, which can be inserted into the liquid containing unit, at a lower end and that is detachably attached to the nozzle at an upper end, an emitting end that can emit measurement light, a light receiving end that can receive the light emitted from the emitting end, and a control unit are included. The control unit is configured to suck a prescribed amount of the chemical substance solution into the flow tube, and to lead absorbance on the basis of intensity of transmitted light acquired by emission of measurement light in a vertical direction into the flow tube.

Provided are methods and devices for automated analysis of one or more samples in single or multi-well plates or vessels, wherein the process of automated analysis comprises flow and hydrodynamic, electrokinetic, and optical forces for the analysis and sorting of samples, wherein the samples comprise liquid or particles in microfluidic channels, and wherein the devices comprise an assembly of components that enable processing of a said samples for analytical assessment by fluidic and/or particle based instruments. Microfluidic structures (channels, “T's”, “Y's”, branched “Y's”, wells, and weirs) are described for facilitating sample interaction and observation, sample analysis, sorting, or isolation. Detection can be accomplished using spectroscopic methods including, but not limited to, Raman spectroscopy of single cells and bulk cellular samples (collections of cells; several individuals to hundreds or thousands of cells).

Immersion Raman probes use collimated light as opposed to a diverging fiber bundle or lens-based focusing geometry to deliver and collect light to and from a sample, thereby eliminating problems associated with chromatic aberration. The probes convey counter-propagating excitation and collection beams to and from a distally sealed, signal-transmissive optical component such as a window immersed, in contact with, or otherwise exposed to a sample volume. The counter-propagating excitation and collection beams pass directly through the sealed optical component and into the sample volume in collimated form for Raman analysis thereof. The probe may further include a baffled sample chamber coupled to the distal end of the probe optic body, with one or more optical elements to reflect the counter-propagating beams. The sample chamber may be fixed or axially movable to facilitate path length adjustment. The invention finds utility in process Raman, microscopy and other applications.

Disclosed is a surface plasmon resonance sensor. The surface plasmon resonance sensor includes an optical fiber; a microfiber provided at an end of the optical fiber; and a nanostructure provided in a specific region of the microprobe. The specific region of the microprobe is present at a position separate by a predetermined distance from the end of the optical fiber, and, in the nanostructure, a conductive layer is provided at an interval of a nano size at each of both sides of an insulating layer.

A chemical and/or biochemical apparatus (10) for receiving a plurality of reaction vessels in which chemical and/or biochemical reactions may take place includes a thermal mount (14) having a plurality of wells (26) for receiving the reaction vessels (12), a thermal module (16) having a first side thermally coupled to the thermal mount (14), a first heat sink (18) thermally coupled to a second side of the thermal module, the heat sink (18) having a body and a plurality of thermally conductive fins (32) extending outwards from the body of the first heat sink (18), and a printed circuit board (54) having electronic components for controlling at least the thermal module (16), an excitation light source (62), and a light sensor (52). A first set of light waveguides (60) is provided for delivering excitation light to a reaction vessel, and a second set of light waveguides (38) is provided for receiving light from a reaction vessel and for delivering the light to the light sensor (52). The first heat sink (18) comprises an interior space (5) and the printed circuit board (54), the excitation light source (62), the light sensor (52) and the light waveguides (38, 60) are arranged within the interior space (5).

Disclosed herein are optical near-field systems and methods that provide a noninvasive and fast approach to detect and characterize dislocation defects in semiconductors films caused by a mismatched film-substrate, such as found in GaAsSi. The embodiments disclosed utilize optical cavities formed by the dislocation defects. The optical cavities act to localize a beam excitation light, which elicits second harmonic generated (SHG) light from the same region. The SHG light can be probed and mapped to provide information regarding the defects. The information derived from the map includes defect location, defect density, and defect orientation.

Disclosed is a surface plasmon resonance sensor. The surface plasmon resonance sensor includes an optical fiber; a microfiber provided at an end of the optical fiber; and a nanostructure provided in a specific region of the microprobe. The specific region of the microprobe is present at a position separate by a predetermined distance from the end of the optical fiber, and, in the nanostructure, a conductive layer is provided at an interval of a nano size at each of both sides of an insulating layer.

A brain computer interface system includes a retainer and cap assembly for transmitting light to a user's head region and transmitting optical signals from the user's head region to a detector subsystem. The retainer is configured to secure the cap assembly to a head region of a user. The cap assembly includes an array of ports that retain an array of ferrules. A first ferrule in the array of ferrules can include a channel that extends at least partially through the body of the ferrule. The channel retains a fiber optic cable such that the fiber optic cable is in communication with a head region of a user during a mode of operation. The cap includes an elastic portion such that in a mode of operation, the cap and array of ferrules are biased towards the head region of a user.

Disclosed is an optical flow cell (300) comprising: a housing (910) forming; an enclosed and elongated fluid channel (920) arranged along a first axis (923); a first light guide (961) and a second light guide (962) generally concentrically arranged along a second axis (970) and on opposite side walls of the fluid channel, said first and second light guides having ends (961c,962c) removed in situ to provide a sensing gap (d).

A spectroscopic system may include: a probe having a probe tip and an optical coupler, the optical coupler including an emitting fiber group and first and second receiving fiber groups, each fiber group having a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of the fiber groups are formed into a bundle and optically exposed through the probe tip; a light source optically coupled to the second end of the emitting fiber group, the light source emitting light in at least a first waveband and a second waveband, the second waveband being different from the first waveband; a first spectrometer optically coupled to the second end of the first receiving fiber group and configured to process light in the first waveband; and a second spectrometer optically coupled to the second end of the second receiving fiber group and configured to process light in the second waveband.