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Optical system for chemical and/or biochemical reactions

  • US 10,029,227 B2
  • Filed: 01/08/2010
  • Issued: 07/24/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for detecting light, the apparatus comprising:

  • a plurality of reaction vessels, each of the reaction vessels being mounted to a heater block of a thermal cycler, each of the reaction vessels comprising a receptacle portion therein having an interior volume in which a chemical or biochemical reaction may occur and within which volume the light may be produced, each of the reaction vessels having an emitting area through which at least part of the light produced within the interior volumes of the reaction vessels passes to emanate from the reaction vessels, wherein the heater block is controlled to thermally cycle the interior volumes of the reaction vessels;

    a masking element having an array of apertures arranged so that there is at least one aperture adjacent each of the emitting areas of the reaction vessels and at least a part of the light produced in the interior volumes of the receptacle portions of the reaction vessels passes therethrough, at least one of the apertures being smaller than the emitting area of the corresponding reaction vessel;

    a light detecting device comprising at least one detector and controlling electronics programmed to control the at least one detector so that at least part of the light that is produced in the interior volumes of the receptacle portions of all of the reaction vessels in which light is produced is detected by the light detecting device; and

    a plurality of light waveguides comprising at least one light waveguide for each reaction vessel, each of the light waveguides arranged to guide at least a part of the light from a respective aperture of the array of apertures in the masking element to the light detecting device, the light waveguides having first ends mounted to or in at least one of the respective apertures in the masking element, which respective apertures have a size similar to that of the first ends of the respective light waveguides, wherein the controlling electronics of the light detecting device are programmed to control the at least one detector so that the light received from each of the reaction vessels in which light is produced is detected simultaneously by the light detecting device.

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