Using MicroSpot LEDs for Precise Evaluations in Life Science

Handling microfluidics and evaluating samples based on light is a precise science. And that precision comes from the light source, not the actual detection method. But too many times we see standard LEDs being used in these sensing and evaluation applications. Standard LEDs are typically developed for lighting and illumination applications and require too many ancillary components to achieve a minimum level of acceptability. Fortunately, there is an alternate technology.

First, let’s look at a standard LED. Figure 1 shows a typical red LED. You can see the light emission surface is cluttered with the anode pad (square in the middle) and its bond wire. These elements are fine for applications like long-range sensing, lighting and indications, but for precise, up-close applications they cause disturbances.

Figure 1: Typical red LED showing the intrusion of the anode and bond wire into the light emission

Most notable is the square hole in the middle of the emission pattern. There are two typical methods to reduce the effect of the hole: lensing and apertures. An aperture essentially restricts the emitted light to a corner of the die, substantially reducing the light energy causing difficulties with low-contrast detections. Using a lens only will maintain the light energy, but the beam will have a fixed focused point that is not acceptable for many applications. But even the bond wire produces reflections and causes spurious emissions. These cannot be tolerated with microfluidics as adjacent channels will become involved in the measurement. An additional aperture is typically used to suppress the spurious emissions.

Fortunately, there is an alternative with MicroSpot LEDs. Basically, the anode and emission areas are inverted as shown in the Figure 2 comparison.

Figure 2: Comparison of the typical LED with the MicroSpot’s clean, powerful and collimated emission

This eliminates the need for the anode and bond wire to interfere with the emitted light. This produces a clean, powerful and collimated emission that will produce consistent results without additional components. This level of beam control is typically reserved for lasers. However, lasers also require more components, are much larger and cost more. The MicroSpot LED is the best choice for demanding life science applications.

Try the MicroSpot for yourself in select Balluff MICROmote miniature photoelectric sensors.

Learn more at www.balluff.com.