LED arrays as cost effective and efficient light sources for widefield microscopy

New developments in fluorophores as well as in detection methods have fueled the rapid growth of optical imaging in the life sciences. Commercial widefield microscopes generally use arc lamps, excitation/emission filters and shutters for fluorescence imaging. These components can be expensive, diffi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2008-05, Vol.3 (5), p.e2146
Main Authors: Albeanu, Dinu F, Soucy, Edward, Sato, Tomokazu F, Meister, Markus, Murthy, Venkatesh N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arc lamps
Biophysics
Cell Biology
Cellular biology
Chemical compounds
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Fluorescence
Fluorophores
Imaging
LEDs
Light
Light emitting diodes
Light sources
Lighting
Medical schools
Microscopes
Microscopy
Microscopy - economics
Microscopy - instrumentation
Neuroscience
Neurosciences
Optical microscopy
Optics
Organic light emitting diodes
Physiology
Radiology and Medical Imaging
Science
Semiconductors
Shutters
Topography
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Summary:New developments in fluorophores as well as in detection methods have fueled the rapid growth of optical imaging in the life sciences. Commercial widefield microscopes generally use arc lamps, excitation/emission filters and shutters for fluorescence imaging. These components can be expensive, difficult to maintain and preclude stable illumination. Here, we describe methods to construct inexpensive and easy-to-use light sources for optical microscopy using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We also provide examples of its applicability to biological fluorescence imaging.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0002146