Imaging apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. An imaging apparatus for imaging a specimen within the evanescent field present upon reflection of a beam of light at a TIR surface comprising;
- a polarized light source emitting a polarized, extended beam of light;
a TIR structure having a TIR surface, the light from said polarized light source member being reflected only a single time by the TIR surface, the specimen being within the evanescent field associated with the total internal reflection at the TIR surface; and
a polarization-sensitive two-dimensional array detector said detector detecting the light beam reflected from the TIR surface including the spatially distributed polarization change caused by the specimen.
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Abstract
Imaging apparatus and method which uses change of polarization state of a light beam passed through a total internal reflection structure by a single reflection at a TIR surface in which a specimen is placed in the evanescent field associated with the total internal reflection of the light beam, the specimen being the subject of biological, chemical or genetic investigation.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An imaging apparatus for imaging a specimen within the evanescent field present upon reflection of a beam of light at a TIR surface comprising;
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a polarized light source emitting a polarized, extended beam of light;
a TIR structure having a TIR surface, the light from said polarized light source member being reflected only a single time by the TIR surface, the specimen being within the evanescent field associated with the total internal reflection at the TIR surface; and
a polarization-sensitive two-dimensional array detector said detector detecting the light beam reflected from the TIR surface including the spatially distributed polarization change caused by the specimen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of imaging a chemical specimen array comprising;
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passing an extended polarized light beam into a TIR structure for reflection at a TIR surface of the TIR structure and exiting after a single reflection at said TIR surface;
a specimen being in the evanescent field of the reflected light beam;
detecting the spatially distributed change in polarization state caused by the array; and
processing the spatially distributed change in polarization state information detected to provide an image of the specimen array. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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29. A method of characterizing a two-dimensionally distributed chemical specimen array in the evanescent field associated with total internal reflection of a beam comprising;
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directing an extended beam of light of known polarization state at a total internal reflection surface, the beam undergoing a single total internal reflection at the total internal reflection surface; and
determining the spatially distributed change in the beam'"'"'s polarization state caused by the chemical specimen array in the evanescent field. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An imaging apparatus comprising;
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a source of a polarized light beam; and
a TIR structure configured to receive the polarized light beam for a single reflection at a TIR surface thereof and for the reflected light beam to exit TIR structure.
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Specification