Acousto-Optic Tunable Fiber

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is the most common form of detection on microchips. Typically, a confocal setup is used, where incoming laser light is focused into a microchannel through an objective, and the fluorescence emission is collected and sent to a photomultiplier tube (PMT) for detection. Increasing the number of fluorophores to be detected in the sample creates a need for separating out different emission lines. We are using an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) to select these emission lines. The AOTF acts as an electronically tunable spectral bandpass filter. It is made up of a single optically-active crystal bonded to a piezoelectric. By applying different radio frequencies to the piezoelectric, acoustic waves are propagated through the crystal, and a single wavelength of light can be separated from a multi-color source. This allows for a separation of multiple species spectrally, even without temporal resolution. We plan on using this device to perform multicolor detection of tagged DNA bases for clinical and forensic applications. 

Contact Landers Research Group
jpl5e@virginia.edu
(434) 243-8658
375, 379, 395 Chemistry Building
McCormick Road
​Charlottesville, Va 22904

UVA Chemistry Department