APPARATUS FOR PHOTON DETECTION

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to acquire the brightness of NA>1 while alleviating the requirement for the precision of positioning for the collection lens of the sample cell in a non-liquid immersion system. In order to achieve the object mentioned above, the bottom of the sample cell is formed in a curved surface, and an arrangement is made to ensure that the fluorescence irradiated from the focusing point would be parallel pencils when emitted by the cell, and in addition a pinhole is disposed at the focal point of the fluorescence collection lens.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the structure of a conventional fluorescence detection system having a pinhole;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the structure combining a sample cell whose bottom is a curved surface and a conventional fluorescence detection system having a pinhole;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the case wherein the relative position of the sample cell and the collection lens has shifted one against the other in the conventional optical system;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the structure of a detection optical system according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the case wherein the relative position of the sample cell and the collection lens has shifted one against the other in the detection system according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 represents graphs showing the range of forms of sample cell where NA is >1;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlargement of the top plan view of the portion above the cell stand 21;

FIG. 9 represents graphs showing the relationship between the efficiency of fluorescence detection and the displacement of the relative position of the collection lens and the sample cell in the system of the present invention and the system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is the front view and the sectional view of the cell according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is the front view of the vicinity around the cell according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is the sectional view of the cell according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is an illustration describing the fabrication process of the cell according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is the sectional view of the vicinity around the cell according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is the sectional view of the vicinity around the cell according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 16 is an illustration of the structure of the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for photon detection comprising: a sample cell of which the outer surface of the bottom is curved;a photodetector for detecting the light irradiated from the bottom of said sample cell;a pinhole plate located between said sample cell and said photodetector; anda collection lens located between said sample cell and said pinhole plate,where said pinhole plate is fixed in such a way that the position of the pinhole created on said pinhole plate may coincide with the focus of said collection lens.

2. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, comprising a light irradiating unit for irradiating said bottom of said sample cell with excitation beams substantially as collimated beams.

3. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 2, wherein said exciting beams are focused in a pinpoint in the sample solution contained in said sample cell by the bottom of said sample cell.

4. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 2, wherein a dichroic mirror is located between said sample cell and said collection lens, and said light irradiating unit irradiates the sample solution contained in said sample cell with excitation beams through said dichroic mirror.

5. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of said sample cell has a refractive index of 1.55 or more.

6. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, wherein a transparent partition is provided between said sample cell and said collection lens.

7. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the bottom of said sample cell is aspheric.

8. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 7, wherein the inner surface of the bottom of said sample cell is aspheric.

9. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, wherein said sample cell has a cover made of a transparent or partially light-absorbing material and at least a part of the lower side of the cover is in contact with the sample solution contained in said sample cell.

10. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 1, wherein said sample cell has a plurality of wells containing respectively sample solution independently and a driving unit for driving said sample cell two-dimensionally with reference to said apparatus for photon detection.

11. An apparatus for photon detection comprising: a sample cell of which the bottom of the outer surface is curved;a photodetector for detecting the light irradiated from the bottom of said sample cell; anda collection lens located between said sample cell and said photodetector,wherein said photodetector is located at such a position where the focus of said collection lens may coincide with the photosensitive area.

12. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, comprising a light irradiating unit for irradiating said bottom of said sample cell with excitation beams substantially as collimated beams.

13. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 12, wherein said exciting beams are focused in a pinpoint in the sample solution contained in said sample cell by the bottom of said sample cell.

14. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 12, wherein a dichroic mirror is located between said sample cell and said collection lens, and said light irradiating unit irradiates the sample solution contained in said sample cell with excitation beams through said dichroic mirror.

15. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, wherein the bottom of said sample cell has a refractive index of 1.55 or more.

16. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, wherein a transparent partition is provided between said sample cell and said collection lens.

17. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, wherein the outer surface of the bottom of said sample cell is aspheric.

18. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 17, wherein the inner surface of the bottom of said sample cell is aspheric.

19. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, wherein said sample cell has a cover made of a transparent or partially light-absorbing material and at least a part of the lower side of the cover is in contact with the sample solution contained in said sample cell.

20. The apparatus for photon detection according to claim 11, wherein said sample cell has a plurality of wells containing respectively sample solution independently and a driving unit for driving said sample cell two-dimensionally with reference to said photodetector.