Imaging System Hardware
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Chapter 4
Imaging System Hardware
The GenePix Professional 4200A scanner is one of the most sensitive scanners
currently available. This chapter introduces some of the fundamental hardware
concepts needed to understand the operation of the GenePix scanner.
Discussion of Hardware Components
When discussing the hardware components of the GenePix scanner it is convenient
to reduce the system to its optical, mechanical and electrical components.
Optics
Fundamentally, the GenePix scanner uses a laser-excitation-based fluorescence
scanning and imaging system. The optical system can be considered in terms of
excitation light, mirrors, lenses, filters and photo-detection.
The optical lens is located beneath the slideholder, therefore the specimen must be
placed feature-side-down into the slide holder. GenePix Pro software automatically
displays the image as if you were viewing the specimen from the top view;
i.e.,
the
upper-left corner of the slide is also the upper-left corner in the acquired image.
Chapter 4
