Abstract: A well plate includes a frame section that defines a plane, and a plurality of well structures. Each well structure extends in a direction away from the plane defined by the frame section, and each well structure defines a well for holding a fluid. The well plate further includes an artifact connected to at least one well structure. The artifact uniquely identifies a type of the well plate among other types of well plates. Along these lines, a result of a well plate type identification operation, which indicates whether the well plate includes the artifact, may determine whether a predefined pressure is applied to the well plate to facilitate fluid sampling in response to the result, whether fluid level sensing can be performed to gauge amounts of fluids drawn from the wells and/or identify how much fluid is left in the wells, etc.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and detector defining a beam path of an optical beam, and a fluid flow cell on the beam path defining an interrogation region in a fluid channel in which the optical beam interacts with fluids. One or more flow-control devices conduct a particle in a fluid through the fluid channel. A motion system moves the interrogation region relative to the fluid channel in response to a motion signal, and a controller (1) generates the motion signal having a time-varying characteristic, (2) samples an output signal from the optical detector at respective intervals of the motion signal during which the interrogation region contains and does not contain the particle, and (3) determines from output signal samples a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the particle.

Abstract: A tunable laser has a solid state laser medium with optical gain region and generates coherent radiation through a facet. A lens collects the coherent radiation and generates a collimated light beam. An external cavity includes a reflective surface and an optical filter, the reflective surface reflecting the collimated beam back to the lens and laser medium, the optical filter positioned between the reflective surface and the lens and having two surfaces and a thermally tunable optical transmission band within the optical gain region of the laser medium. The optical filter (1) transmits a predominant portion of the collimated beam at a desired wavelength of operation, and (2) specularly reflects a remaining portion of the collimated beam from each surface, the collimated beam being incident on the optical filter such that the reflected collimated beams propagate at a non-zero angle with respect to the incident collimated beam.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and an optical detector defining an optical beam path through an interrogation region of a fluid flow cell. Flow-control devices conduct analyte and reference fluids through a channel and the interrogation region, and manipulate fluid flow in response to control signals to move a fluid boundary separating the analyte and reference fluids across the interrogation region. A controller generates control signals to (1) cause the fluid boundary to be moved across the interrogation region accordingly, (2) sample an output signal from the optical detector at a first interval during which the interrogation region contains more analyte fluid than reference fluid and at a second interval during which the interrogation region contains more reference fluid than analyte fluid, and (3) determine from samples of the output signal a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the analyte fluid.

Abstract: A microfluidic analyzer includes optical sources and optical detectors, the sources generating optical beams, and a multi-chamber fluid cell mounted for relative movement of the fluid cell and the beams to selectively align fluid chambers with beam paths for obtaining optical-response measurements. The cell is configured to reduce differential optical-response measurement between fluid chambers not attributed to a differential analyte in chamber fluids. A controller (1) generates actuator control signals to produce the relative movement of the fluid cell and beams through a sequence of measurement positions, (2) for each measurement position, obtains a set of detector output values, and (3) applies processing to the detector output values to obtain differential optical-response measurements for characterizing a differential analyte between chamber fluids of the cell.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and detector defining a beam path of an optical beam, and a fluid flow cell on the beam path defining an interrogation region in a fluid channel in which the optical beam interacts with fluids. One or more flow-control devices conduct a particle in a fluid through the fluid channel. A motion system moves the interrogation region relative to the fluid channel in response to a motion signal, and a controller (1) generates the motion signal having a time-varying characteristic, (2) samples an output signal from the optical detector at respective intervals of the motion signal during which the interrogation region contains and does not contain the particle, and (3) determines from output signal samples a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the particle.

Abstract: A tunable laser has a solid state laser medium with optical gain region and generates coherent radiation through a facet. A lens collects the coherent radiation and generates a collimated light beam. An external cavity includes a reflective surface and an optical filter, the reflective surface reflecting the collimated beam back to the lens and laser medium, the optical filter positioned between the reflective surface and the lens and having two surfaces and a thermally tunable optical transmission band within the optical gain region of the laser medium. The optical filter (1) transmits a predominant portion of the collimated beam at a desired wavelength of operation, and (2) specularly reflects a remaining portion of the collimated beam from each surface, the collimated beam being incident on the optical filter such that the reflected collimated beams propagate at a non-zero angle with respect to the incident collimated beam.

Abstract: A tunable laser has a solid state laser medium having an optical gain region and generates coherent radiation through a facet. A lens collects the coherent radiation and generates a collimated light beam. Components of an external cavity include a reflective surface and an optical filter, the reflective surface reflecting the collimated beam back to the lens and the laser medium, the optical filter positioned between the reflective surface and the lens and having two surfaces with a thermally tunable optical transmission band within the optical gain region of the laser medium. The optical filter (1) transmits a predominant portion of the collimated beam at a desired wavelength of operation, and (2) specularly reflects a remaining portion of the collimated beam from each surface, the collimated beam being incident on the optical filter such that the reflected collimated beams propagate at a non-zero angle with respect to the incident collimated beam.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and an optical detector defining an optical beam path through an interrogation region of a fluid flow cell. Flow-control devices conduct analyte and reference fluids through a channel and the interrogation region, and manipulate fluid flow in response to control signals to move a fluid boundary separating the analyte and reference fluids across the interrogation region. A controller generates control signals to (1) cause the fluid boundary to be moved across the interrogation region accordingly, (2) sample an output signal from the optical detector at a first interval during which the interrogation region contains more analyte fluid than reference fluid and at a second interval during which the interrogation region contains more reference fluid than analyte fluid, and (3) determine from samples of the output signal a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the analyte fluid.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and detector defining a beam path of an optical beam, and a fluid flow cell on the beam path defining an interrogation region in a fluid channel in which the optical beam interacts with fluids. One or more flow-control devices conduct a particle in a fluid through the fluid channel. A motion system moves the interrogation region relative to the fluid channel in response to a motion signal, and a controller (1) generates the motion signal having a time-varying characteristic, (2) samples an output signal from the optical detector at respective intervals of the motion signal during which the interrogation region contains and does not contain the particle, and (3) determines from output signal samples a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the particle.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and detector defining a beam path of an optical beam, and a fluid flow cell on the beam path defining an interrogation region in a fluid channel in which the optical beam interacts with fluids. One or more flow-control devices conduct a particle in a fluid through the fluid channel. A motion system moves the interrogation region relative to the fluid channel in response to a motion signal, and a controller (1) generates the motion signal having a time-varying characteristic, (2) samples an output signal from the optical detector at respective intervals of the motion signal during which the interrogation region contains and does not contain the particle, and (3) determines from output signal samples a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the particle.

Abstract: A tunable laser has a solid state laser medium having an optical gain region and generates coherent radiation through a facet. A lens collects the coherent radiation and generates a collimated light beam. Components of an external cavity include a reflective surface and an optical filter, the reflective surface reflecting the collimated beam back to the lens and the laser medium, the optical filter positioned between the reflective surface and the lens and having two surfaces with a thermally tunable optical transmission band within the optical gain region of the laser medium. The optical filter (1) transmits a predominant portion of the collimated beam at a desired wavelength of operation, and (2) specularly reflects a remaining portion of the collimated beam from each surface, the collimated beam being incident on the optical filter such that the reflected collimated beams propagate at a non-zero angle with respect to the incident collimated beam.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer includes an optical source and an optical detector defining an optical beam path through an interrogation region of a fluid flow cell. Flow-control devices conduct analyte and reference fluids through a channel and the interrogation region, and manipulate fluid flow in response to control signals to move a fluid boundary separating the analyte and reference fluids across the interrogation region. A controller generates control signals to (1) cause the fluid boundary to be moved across the interrogation region accordingly, (2) sample an output signal from the optical detector at a first interval during which the interrogation region contains more analyte fluid than reference fluid and at a second interval during which the interrogation region contains more reference fluid than analyte fluid, and (3) determine from samples of the output signal a measurement value indicative of an optically measured characteristic of the analyte fluid.