Flow cytometer with optical equalization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11698334-B2
Application number	US-202017003605-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2020
Priority date	Sep 13, 2016
Publication date	Jul 11, 2023
Grant date	Jul 11, 2023

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods for producing an output laser beam having two or more angularly deflected laser beams (e.g., for irradiating a sample in a flow stream) with a predetermined intensity profile. Systems for practicing the subject methods having a laser, an acousto-optic device, a radiofrequency generator and a controller for adjusting the amplitude of the radiofrequency drive signals to produce an output laser beam of angularly deflected laser beams with a predetermined intensity profile are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
applying a first radiofrequency drive signal and a second radiofrequency drive signal to an acousto-optic device;
irradiating the acousto-optic device with a laser to generate a plurality of independently-controlled angularly deflected laser beams that collectively form an output excitation beam;
splitting the output excitation beam into a first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams and a second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams;
propagating the first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams along a first optical path; and
propagating the second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams along a second optical path.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angularly deflected laser beams are spatially separated.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angularly deflected laser beams at least partially overlap.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angularly deflected laser beams are aligned along a horizontal axis in the output laser beam.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
applying a plurality of radiofrequency drive signals to the acousto-optic device; and
irradiating the acousto-optic device with the laser to generate a plurality of angularly deflected laser beams having different intensities.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the angularly deflected laser beams in the output excitation beam have a predetermined intensity profile along a horizontal axis.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the intensity profile comprises increasing intensity from the center to the edges of the output excitation beam along the horizontal axis.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the intensity of the angularly deflected laser beam at the center of the output excitation beam is from 0.1% to about 99% of the intensity of the angularly deflected laser beams at the edge of the output excitation beam along the horizontal axis.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the intensity profile comprises an increasing intensity from the edges to the center of the output excitation beam along the horizontal axis.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the intensity profile comprises a Gaussian distribution along a vertical axis of the output excitation beam.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein each radiofrequency drive signal is independently from about 1 MHz to about 250 MHz.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein each radiofrequency drive signal has an amplitude that is independently from about 0.1 volts to about 40 volts.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the spatial width of the output excitation beam by reducing or increasing the number of applied radiofrequency drive signals.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
recombining the first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams with the second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams;
irradiating a sample in a flow stream with the recombined first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams and second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams; and
detecting light emitted from the sample in the flow stream.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising measuring the detected light at one or more wavelengths.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the detected light is forward scattered light, side scattered light, transmitted light, emitted light or a combination thereof.

17. A system comprising:
a laser;
an acousto-optic device;
a radiofrequency generator configured to apply a first radiofrequency drive signal and a second radiofrequency drive signal to the acousto-optic device to generate an output excitation beam comprising a plurality of independently-controlled angularly deflected laser beams; and
an optical component configured to split the output excitation beam into a first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams and a second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams and to propagate the first plurality of angularly deflected laser beams along a first optical path and to propagate the second plurality of angularly deflected laser beams along a second optical path.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the acousto-optic device is an acousto-optic deflector.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the radiofrequency generator is configured to apply drive signals having an amplitude of from about 0.1 volts to 40 volts.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the radiofrequency generator is configured to apply drive signals having a frequency of from about 1 MHz to about 250 MHz.

21. The system of claim 17 , the system further comprising:
a first optical adjustment component for inverting the first set of angularly deflected laser beams and overlap the second set of angularly deflected beams; and
a second optical adjustment component for optically combining the inverted first set of angularly deflected laser beams with the second set of angularly deflected laser beams to produce a recombined output laser beam.

22. The system of claim 17 , wherein the system is a component of a flow cytometer that further comprises a flow cell and at least one detector for detecting light from the flow cell.

Assignees

• Becton Dickinson Co

Inventors

• Diebold Eric D
• Owsley Keegan
• Bahr Matthew

Classifications

• H01S3/0071

  Beam steering, e.g. whereby a mirror outside the cavity is present to change the beam direction · CPC title

• G01N15/1434 Primary

  Optical arrangements · CPC title

• G02F2203/18

  adaptive optics, e.g. wavefront correction · CPC title

• G01N2015/145

  by pattern of light, e.g. fringe pattern · CPC title

• G02F1/33

  Acousto-optical deflection devices {(circuit or control arrangements therefor G02F1/113)} · CPC title