Abstract: An optical illuminator assembly for an analytical instrument, such as a clinical hematology or a flow cytometer instrument, and method of aligning the components of the illuminator assembly and orienting the illuminator assembly. The illuminator assembly includes a plurality of optical components, such as a laser source, e.g., a laser diode, optionally a spatial filter, a beam shaping aperture, and a focussing lens. The optical components are mounted in or to a housing and are internally oriented with respect to the housing to produce a focussed laser beam output. The housing is in turn mounted on an alignment mechanism which can move the focussed beam in four degrees of freedom, thereby to direct the focussed beam to a particular location. Thus, a factory alignment and a low cost prealigned optical illuminator assembly is obtained, which can be easily oriented for use in an instrument.

Abstract: An optical illuminator assembly for an analytical instrument, such as a clinical hematology or a flow cytometer instrument, and method of aligning the components of the illuminator assembly and orienting the illuminator assembly. The illuminator assembly includes a plurality of optical components, such as a laser source, e.g., a laser diode, optionally a spatial filter, a beam shaping aperture, and a focussing lens. The optical components are mounted in or to a housing and are internally oriented with respect to the housing to produce a focussed laser beam output. The housing is in turn mounted on an alignment mechanism which can move the focussed beam in four degrees of freedom, thereby to direct the focussed beam to a particular location. Thus, a factory alignment and a low cost prealigned optical illuminator assembly is obtained, which can be easily oriented for use in an instrument.

Abstract: A protection device for an electro-optical detector used in systems for making far field diagnostic measurements of a high energy laser beam comprises a solid silicon cone having a truncated apex which functions as the pin hole aperture for the detector. The large end of the cone has a surface defined by the radius drawn from the cone axis at the truncation. This surface is coated with a reflective attenuation layer which reflects a high percentage of the energy of the incident laser beam entering the pinhole aperture thereby minimizing the absorption of the beam by the cone. The high index of refraction of the solid silicon cone permits large off-axis angles of the laser beam to be directed onto the detector resultingly increasing the field of view of a system using a given detector. The increased field of view allows a closer spacing of a plurality of detectors in the system ensuring a high spatial resolution of the laser beam for a desired field of view.