The present invention relates to a detector for measuring fluorescence in a liquid sample and to devices for biochemical analyses comprising it, in particular to devices for performing analyses of real time PCR. The detector of the present invention has a series of advantages such as drastic simplification of the detection configuration, reduced costs, better performances due to the greater freedom in planning the optical configuration which allows dividing the detector itself into independent areas.

Various embodiments may provide a method of illuminating a sample plane. The method may include providing an illumination subsystem, the illumination subsystem including an optical source and at least one lens, having an optic axis at an incident angle greater than 0° and less than 90° to a normal of the sample plane. The method may also include rotating the illumination subsystem about a pivot point between the optical source and the sample plane along the optic axis so that an adjusted illumination distribution generated by the illumination subsystem at the sample plane has greater symmetry compared to a reference illumination distribution generated by the illumination subsystem at the sample plane without the rotation about the pivot point.

This invention provides devices for use in various analytical applications including single-molecule analytical reactions. Methods for detecting analytes optically by propagating optical energy by waveguides within a substrate are provided. Analytical devices are provided which have both shallow and deep waveguides in which illumination light is transported through the deep waveguides and coupled into the shallow waveguides. The shallow waveguides provide evanescent field illumination to analytes, such as single-molecule analytes, within nanometer scale wells. Integrated devices including integrated detectors such as CMOS detectors are included.

Various embodiments may provide a method of illuminating a sample surface. The method may include arranging an illumination subsystem, the illumination subsystem including an optical source and at least one lens, having an optic axis at an incident angle greater than 0° and less than 90° to a normal of the sample surface such that a reference illumination distribution is directly generated on the sample surface based on optical light emitted by the illumination subsystem. The method may also include arranging an adjustment optical subsystem such that an adjusted illumination distribution which is more symmetrical compared to the reference illumination distribution is generated on the sample surface based on optical light emitted by the illumination subsystem.

In a sample observation device, an image acquisition unit 6 acquires a plurality of pieces of image data of a sample in a Y-axis direction, and an image generation unit generates luminance image data on luminance of the sample on the basis of the plurality of pieces of image data, binarizes luminance values of each of the plurality of pieces of image data to generate a plurality of pieces of binarized image data, and generates area image data on an existing area of the sample on the basis of the plurality of pieces of binarized image data.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for fluorescence excitation and detection. The apparatus comprises one or more light sources for providing excitation light for fluorescence excitation at an observation spot along an optical axis for excitation, an optical collection element for collecting fluorescence light generated by the excitation light at two or more different observation spots into two or more different measurement channels with an optical axis for collecting non-parallel to the optical axis for excitation of each of the one or more light sources, and, for each of the two or more measurement channels and thereby for each of the two or more observation spots, a dedicated optical detector for detecting fluorescence from the fluorescence light collected by the optical collection element.

An instrument for processing and/or measuring a biological process comprises a plurality of filter assemblies configured to be interchangeably located along at least one of the optical paths. The plurality of filter components includes a first filter assembly characterized by a first optical power and a first filter having a first filter function, the first filter function characterized by at least one of a first low-pass wavelength or a first high-pass wavelength. The second filter assembly is characterized by a second optical power and a second filter having a second filter function, the second filter function comprising at least one of a second low-pass wavelength that is different than the first low-pass wavelength or a second high-pass wavelength that is different than the first high-pass wavelength.

Aspects of the present disclosure include systems for detecting light from a particle in a flow stream by spectral discrimination. Systems according to certain embodiments include a light source configured to irradiate a particle propagating along a flow stream through an interrogation region, a light detection system that includes a wavelength separator component configured to pass light having a predetermined spectral range across the wavelength separator, a light adjustment component configured to continuously convey light from the irradiated particle across the wavelength separator as the particle is propagated along the flow stream through the interrogation region and a photodetector configured to detect light conveyed across the wavelength separator. Systems also include a processor for generating a photodetector signal pulse in response to light detected from the wavelength separator. Methods for detecting light with the subject systems are also described. Kits having one or more components for detecting light according to the subject methods are also provided.

A device for base calling is provided. The device includes a receptacle configured to hold a biosensor having a sample surface holding a plurality of clusters during a sequence of sampling events, an array of sensors sensing information from clusters disposed in corresponding pixel areas of the sample surface during the sampling events and generate sequences of pixel signals and a communication port configured to output the sequences of pixel signals. The device also includes a signal processor coupled to the communication port and configured to receive and process at least one pixel signal in the sequences of pixel signals that mixes light gathered from at least two clusters in a corresponding pixel area, and to base call each of the at least two clusters using the at least one pixel signal.

An optical imaging system (1) is configured for photographing a sample and includes a lighting module (11) and an imaging module (15). The lighting module (11) is configured for outputting excitation light, the excitation light is configured to excite the sample to generate excited light, the imaging module (15) comprises a time delay integration line scan camera (151), the time delay integration line scan camera (151) is configured to record the excited light. A biochemical substance detection system using the optical imaging system (1) is also provided, improving the detection flux.