Fiber-optic pipette (FOP) for rapid long pathlength capillary spectroscopy

• US 6,091,490 A
• Filed: 07/30/1998
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Secretary of the Navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Ewing, Kenneth J., Stellman, Christopher M., Bucholtz, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US09/126,221
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 356/300, 356/301, 356/303, 356/319, 356/326, 356/311, 356/244, 385/12, 385/13, 385/123, 385/125, 385/126, 385/39
• US Class Current: 356/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/656 Raman microprobe
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/65 Raman scattering

Abstract

The fiber-optic pipette (FOP) couples a glass capillary, common syringe and a single optical fiber together to provide for a facile means of achieving long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy. The FOP acquires rapid spectroscopic measurements of small-volume liquid samples, while simultaneously achieving signal enhancements of the collected spectroscopic signal.

Claims

1. A device for performing long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy comprised of:

a syringe having a handle, a diaphragm and a needle mount;

a single optical fiber providing a facile means of achieving long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy;

a capillary tube connected to the needle mount;

said optical fiber extending through a hole in the syringe handle, diaphragm and needle mount into the capillary tube;

means for transmitting an excitation signal through the optical fiber onto the sample which produces a resulting signal;

means for discriminating between the excitation and resulting signal passing through the optical fiber; and

means of achieving long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy of the resulting signal.

2. A device, as in claim 1, wherein the means for transmitting an excitation signal through the optical fiber onto the sample which produces a resulting signal is an optical light source.

3. A device, as in claim 2, wherein the optical light source is an optical laser.

4. A device, as in claim 1, wherein the means for discriminating between the excitation and resulting signal passing through the optical fiber is an optical beamsplitter.

5. A device, as in claim 1, wherein the means of achieving long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy of the resulting signal is a spectrometer.

6. A method for performing long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy comprised of the steps of:

Placing a syringe having an optical fiber extending through the center of the syringes handle, diaphragm, needle mount and capillary tube into a sample to be analyzed;

transmitting an optical light onto the sample through the optical fiber; and

transmitting a reflected light from the sample to a spectrometer through the optical fiber where long-pathlength capillary spectroscopy is performed by a spectrometer.