Imaging apparatus and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An imaging apparatus for imaging a specimen array within the evanescent field present upon reflection of a beam of light at a TIR surface comprising;
- a polarized light source member 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 said specimen causing spatially distributed polarization changes in the beam'"'"'s cross-section; and
a polarization-sensitive, two-dimensional array detector, said detector resolving the light beam reflected from the TIR surface as an image of the spatially distributed polarization changes 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.
66 Citations
32 Claims
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1. An imaging apparatus for imaging a specimen array 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 member 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 said specimen causing spatially distributed polarization changes in the beam'"'"'s cross-section; and
a polarization-sensitive, two-dimensional array detector, said detector resolving the light beam reflected from the TIR surface as an image of the spatially distributed polarization changes 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)
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26. 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 (27)
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28. 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;
determining the spatially distributed change in the beam'"'"'s polarization state caused by the chemical specimen array in the evanescent field; and
processing the spatially distributed change in polarization state information detected to provide an image of the specimen array. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
resolving the spatially distributed polarization changes in the light beam for matching positions in the micro-titer plate; and
analyzing the polarization changes to determine desired characteristics in each position.
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31. The method of claim 29 wherein the chemical specimen array is a series of discrete specimen spots;
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the method comprises analyzing the polarization state changes to determine the binding characteristics of each discrete specimen spot in the array.
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32. The method of claim 28 wherein a chemical specimen array having no molecular tagging is placed with the evanescent field associated with the beam.
Specification