Abstract: An assay unit for carrying-out fluorescence-detected assays having a microfluidic chip with a microfluidic system to convey a sample or analyte solution through one or more microfluidic channels arranged on the chip, and a photonic system with two or more rectangular waveguide structures. The microfluidic channels and the waveguide structures cross each other at a detection site. In an assay area, where a certain microfluidic channel and a certain waveguide structure cross each other, one or more lateral surfaces of the core of the waveguide structure at least partially face an inner volume of the microfluidic channel, such that an evanescent field of light guided within the waveguide structure overlaps with a certain part of the inner volume of the microfluidic channel.

Abstract: An assay unit for carrying-out fluorescence-detected assays having a microfluidic chip with a microfluidic system to convey a sample or analyte solution through one or more microfluidic channels arranged on the chip, and a photonic system with two or more rectangular waveguide structures. The microfluidic channels and the waveguide structures cross each other at a detection site. In an assay area, where a certain microfluidic channel and a certain waveguide structure cross each other, one or more lateral surfaces of the core of the waveguide structure at least partially face an inner volume of the microfluidic channel, such that an evanescent field of light guided within the waveguide structure overlaps with a certain part of the inner volume of the microfluidic channel.

Abstract: Surface-based measurement substrate including: At least one optical cavity layer; a first optical mirror and a second optical mirror, the first and second optical mirrors enclosing the optical cavity layer and defining an optical cavity, the first optical mirror and the second optical mirror are attached or fixed to the optical cavity layer to sandwich the optical cavity layer between the first and second mirrors; and an interface layer or interface coating provided on the first mirror or the second mirror, the interface layer or coating being configured to receive or hold at least one entity comprising at least one electromagnetic radiation emitting marker.

Abstract: An assay unit for carrying-out fluorescence-detected assays on physiological samples comprises a microfluidic chip with a microfluidic system to convey a physiological sample or analyte solution through one or more microfluidic channels arranged on the chip, and a photonic system with two or more rectangular waveguide structures arranged on the chip to guide excitation light in the near IR, visible, or near UV range. The microfluidic channels and the waveguide structures cross each other at a detection site. In an assay area, where a certain microfluidic channel and a certain waveguide structure cross each other, one or more lateral surfaces of the core of the waveguide structure at least partially face an inner volume of the microfluidic channel, such that an evanescent field of light guided within the waveguide structure overlaps with a certain part of the inner volume of the microfluidic channel.

Abstract: An optical system (100) comprises a coherent light source (101) and optical elements for directing light from the source to a target (1001). The optical elements include at least one diffusing element (141, 161) arranged to reduce a coherence volume of light from the source and a variable optical property element (151). A control system (1021) controls the variable optical property element such that different speckle patterns are formed over time at the target (1001) with a temporal frequency greater than a temporal resolution of an illumination sensor or an eye (1011) of an observer so that speckle contrast ratio in the observed illumination is reduced. The variable optical property element (151) may be a deformable mirror with a vibrating thin plate or film.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing the visibility of speckle in coherent light comprises propagating the coherent light through a multimode optical waveguide 106 to reduce a coherence length of the coherent light by intermodal dispersion. A vibratable membrane mirror 104 is arranged to reflect the coherent light either before or after passing through the multimode optical fiber further to reduce the coherence length by distributing wave packets across different propagating modes and to erase the modal structure by averaging the distribution of energy across the modes leading to a more uniform illumination. The invention may be used for speckle removal in a laser scanning projector.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing the visibility of speckle in coherent light comprises propagating the coherent light through a multimode optical waveguide 106 to reduce a coherence length of the coherent light by intermodal dispersion. A vibratable membrane mirror 104 is arranged to reflect the coherent light either before or after passing through the multimode optical fibre further to reduce the coherence length by distributing wave packets across different propagating modes and to erase the modal structure by averaging the distribution of energy across the modes leading to a more uniform illumination. The invention may be used for speckle removal in a laser scanning projector.

Abstract: An optical system (100) comprises a coherent light source (101) and optical elements for directing light from the source to a target (1001). The optical elements include at least one diffusing element (141, 161) arranged to reduce a coherence volume of light from the source and a variable optical property element (151). A control system (1021) controls the variable optical property element such that different speckle patterns are formed over time at the target (1001) with a temporal frequency greater than a temporal resolution of an illumination sensor or an eye (1011) of an observer so that speckle contrast ratio in the observed illumination is reduced. The variable optical property element (151) may be a deformable mirror with a vibrating thin plate or film.