Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for the detection of a fluorescent dye in a sample, comprising a radiation source with the aid of which light for exciting the fluorescent dye to be detected can be transmitted into the sample applied to a carrier, and a detecting device for detecting fluorescent light which has been emitted by the fluorescent dye to be detected. The present invention is characterized by a hollow space having an internal high-reflectance surface, a first aperture directed towards the sample, and a second aperture located opposite the detecting device.

Abstract: A device for carrying out and/or detecting affinity reactions comprises at least one surface or boundary surface on which an affinity reaction can take place, and at least one polymer bound to the surface. According to the invention, this device is obtainable by bonding the polymer to the surface in its pure phase, i e. essentially free of solvents. The polymer is preferably a terminally homo- or heterosubstituted bifunctional polymer, a corresponding polyalkylene glycol, in particular a polyethylene glycol, being preferred. The surface can be made of a metal oxide, in particular silicon dioxide. Before bonding the polymer, an activation of the surface, preferably by introducing functional groups by means of a silanization, can be effected.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for the detection of a fluorescent dye in samples, comprising a device for exciting the fluorescent dye to be detected, said device comprising a surface provided for the application of samples and an excitation light coupling device by means of which excitation light from a predefined direction of impingement can be coupled into the device in such a way that, by means of an evanescent field of the coupled light, the fluorescent dye to be detected can be excited in the samples applied, and further comprising a means for the detection of the fluorescent light emitted by the fluorescent dye to be detected. The present invention is characterized in that the device for exciting the fluorescent dye to be detected is provided in such a way that the surface to which the samples are to be applied is movable relative to the direction of impingement so as to excite the fluorescent dye to be detected in different subsections of said surface.

Abstract: The invention refers to a photoelectric detector device to be used in the atomic absorption spectroscopy. This device is characterized by a photo semiconductor array having a plurality of photo semiconductor devices and a read-out means for jointly reading out the charges generated in the photo semiconductor devices of any continuous portion in the photo semiconductor array by means of impingement of radiation, and for generating electric signals corresponding to the read-out charges.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a light scanning device for exciting and detecting an emission of secondary light, especially fluorescent light, of a sample, comprising a light generating device for generating scanning light in the form of a single light beam, a deflection unit used for effecting a deflection of the scanning light for scanning at least one subarea of the sample, said deflection being variable in at least one direction, an imaging unit for forming an image of the secondary light emanating from the sample, and a detection unit for detecting the secondary light. When a sample with a large surface to be rastered is subjected to fluorescence examination with high spatial resolution, undesirably long scanning times occur. For reducing the scanning time and for simultaneously maintaining the high resolution in the case of such a sample, the light scanning device according to the present invention comprises a division device for dividing the single light beam into at least two light beams.

Abstract: The invention relates to an atomic absorption spectrometer, comprising a measuring light path leading from at least one light source emitting line radiation corresponding to at least one element to be detected, through an atomization means for atomizing a sample containing the element to be detected, to a detection means, and a reference light path leading from each light source to the detection means. The invention is characterized in that a beam splitting means is provided such that a first component of the line radiation of each light source is guidable via the measuring light path and a second component of the line radiation of each light source is simultaneously guidable via the reference light path.

Abstract: A light scanning device for exciting and detecting secondary light, especially fluorescent light, on a sample, comprising a light emission device for emitting exciting light with a wavelength suitable for exciting secondary light on or in said sample, a focussing optics for focussing the exciting light on a subarea of said sample, a sample holding device for releasably holding the sample, a detection unit comprising a detection optics for the secondary light emitted by the sample in response to excitation and a detector device for converting the detected and imaged secondary light into electric signals. In the case of conventional known light scanning devices, scanning is carried out by means of a deflection unit consisting of tilting mirrors. Due to the long path of the light beam, positioning inaccuracies of the tilting mirrors result in major position inaccuracies of the scanning ray bundle on the surface of the sample.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a light scanning device for exciting and detecting secondary light, especially fluorescent light, on a sample, comprising a light-emitting device for emitting excitation light having a wavelength which is suitable for exciting secondary light on or in the sample, a scanning unit for scanning at least one subarea of the sample with said excitation light, and a detection unit for the secondary light emitted in response to excitation of the sample, said detection unit comprising a detection optics and a detector device. In the case of conventional scanning devices, the spatial resolution on the sample is determined by the scanning element alone. If spot detectors without spatial resolution are used, the detector must be read out and re-initialized after the illumination of each scanning spot on the sample; this results in a waiting time before the scanning beam can be moved to the next scanning spot and, consequently, in a reduction of the read-out velocity.

Abstract: An electrically heatable hollow-body furnace with a secondary surface on which an analyte of a sample can be condensed prior to being atomized. The furnace is constructed in two sections which are capable of being electrically heated independently of one another. The secondary surface is defined by a surface of one of the sections. A process for atomizing an analyte of a sample to be examined, utilizing the device according to the following steps: introducing the sample into a hollow-body furnace having a secondary surface, condensing the analyte on the secondary surface and atomizing the analyte.

Abstract: In a method of determining concentrations by means of atomic absorption spectrometry, the absorption of structured background is determined in a graphite furnace.

Abstract: An electrically heatable hollow-body furnace with a secondary surface on which an analyte of a sample can be condensed prior to being atomized. The furnace is constructed in two sections which are capable of being electrically heated independently of one another. The secondary surface is defined by a surface of one of the sections. A process for atomizing an analyte of a sample to be examined, utilizing the device according to the following steps: introducing the sample into a hollow-body furnace having a secondary surface, condensing the analyte on the secondary surface and atomizing the analyte.

Abstract: The invention relates to optical instrment engineering. It is suggested that a linear solid state detector (photodiode array detector, charge coupled device, charge transfer device) that is positioned along the image of entrance slit of the monochrometer be used in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. This will improve the analytical performance of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer--lower the detection limits, extend the range of concentrations to be measured, increase the reproducibility of measurements by taking into account the temporal and spatial non-uniformities of the analyte distribution over the atomizer volume and will simultaneously provide atomizer walls and of the platform temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a spectrometer device comprising a monochromator means, a light-measuring means receiving light from said monochromator means, and a calibration means comprising a calibration light source. The present invention provides a new spectrometer device whose light-measuring means comprises a plurality of light-measuring elements in an array extending in the direction of dispersion of the monochromator means, and whose calibration means carries out, on the basis of a spectral light measurement with the aid of the calibration light source, an association between the light-measuring elements and the wavelengths of the spectral light which is adapted to be detected by the respective light-measuring elements. These measures substantially facilitate the calibration and especially the automatic execution of said calibration, if desired simultaneously with a spectra measurement, and they improve the accuracy of the calibration.

Abstract: The invention relates to optical instrment engineering. It is suggested that a liner solid state detector (photodiode array detector, charge coupled device, charge transfer device) that is positioned along the image of entrance slit of the monochrometer be used in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. This will improve the analytical performance of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer--lower the detection limits, extend the range of concentrations to be measured, increase the reproducibility of measurements by taking into account the temporal and spatial non-uniformities of the analyte distribution over the atomizer volume and will simultaneously provide atomizer walls and of the platform temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a system in accordance with a desired temperature curve which is divided into predetermined time intervals. It is the object of the present invention to control the temperature of the system in such a manner that the predetermined and desired temperature curve is observed as exactly as possible.

Abstract: An atomic absorption spectrometer for measuring mercury concentration in a sample which includes an arrangement for producing emission lines of 184.9 and 253.7 nm at the same time, a sample accommodating chamber which can be irradiated with radiation of the emission lines, two electro-optical transducers responsive, with different sensitivities, to the radiation emission lines and arranged so that radiation passing through the sample chamber simultaneously impinges thereon, each extinction measuring means having a preselected extinction value range, and a comparator for switching between respective measurement ranges to determine the mercury concentration.

Abstract: The invention relates to a multielement atomic absorption spectrometer for simultaneously performing measurements for determining both one element and a plurality of elements under optimum conditions. The atomic absorption spectrometer comprises at least two lamps respectively emitting lines of at least one analyte element, a furnace heating the analyte sample into its atomized state, at least one optical dispersion element having an entrance slit arranged upstream thereof, detector elements, as well as means for passing radiation emanating from the lamps through the furnace, through the entrance slit and the dispersion element to the detector elements, and measuring means.

Abstract: An Atomic Absorption Spectrometer in which background absorption is compensated by means of a magnetic field causing a periodic line shift due to the Zeeman Effect, including a line emitting light source, an atomizing device, an optical system, by means of which the measuring light beam can be passed through an atom cloud of the atomizing device, an electromagnet, a converter circuit for converting the mains a.c. voltage into d.c. voltage applied to a capacitor, the winding of the electromagnet being located in the diagonal of a bridge circuit which is supplied with the d.c.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a dual-beam polychromator comprising a reflecting dispersion grating, a first entrance slit for a first ray bundle, a second entrance slit for a second ray bundle and first and second detector devices respectively used for simultaneously detecting the spectra of the first and second ray bundles diffracted at the dispersion grating. Dual-beam polychromators which are known according to the prior art and which have their respective entrance slits arranged directly adjacent the detector devices of the other channel cause substantial structural difficulties with regard to the mechanical provision of the respective components.

Abstract: An Echelle polychromator 50 has disposed upstream thereof a pre-monochromator 14 comprising a prism 20. The linear dispersion of the pre-monochromator 14 is variable by varying the angular dispersion of the prism 20. A particular spectral position and the close vicinity thereof are analyzed by an Echelle grating 54 with high resolution. Care must be taken that, on the one hand, the detector array 66 of the Echelle polychromator 50 is fully exploited in response to the central wavelength respectively observed and that, on the other hand, interfering orders are kept away from the Echelle polychromator 50. The linear dispersion of the pre-monochromator is variable for this purpose.