Apparatus for detecting fluorescence of a luminescent material

摘要

An apparatus for detecting the fluorescence of a luminescent material. Photo-semiconductors receiving the visible fluorescence from a target luminescent material and directly from a discharge lamp are electrically coupled to oppose each other resulting in a single-channel detector inherently balanced and insensitive to variations in the excitation stimulus. The photo-semiconductor output is sent through a second harmonic amplifier making available a phase detection of the fluorescence instead of an amplitude detection. The phase of the signal is compared with a known phase from the excitation power source. By adding signals that either reinforce or oppose, the phase information is converted back to amplitude information at a voltage level that can be easily detected. The compared output then triggers an indicator producing an indication of the amount of fluorescence of the target luminescent material.