BMG LABTECH specializes in microplate reading systems and continues to invest in unique and innovative technologies. Most of this new technology has been implemented based on customers' suggestions. The linear variable filter (LVF) monochromator (Figure 1) is one such technological development that sets a new standard in microplate reading technology.
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the LVF monochromator. Image credits: BMG Labtech
LVF Monochromators
BMG LABTECH's LVF monochromator is a next-generation monochromator technology that delivers filter-like performance. The monochromator is an optical instrument that selects a specific light wavelength through mechanical movement of a light filtering stage. A monochromator-based microplate reader often includes two monochromators; one for selecting excitation and one for the emission light. To date, two generations of monochromators have been commercially available. The next one was pioneered by BMG LABTECH.
Classic Monochromator
The classic monochromator is a first generation technology that selects a wavelength by passing broadband light via a slit, a concave grating and then another slit. This is required in order to break up the light and block unwanted wavelengths. Owing to light diffraction, just a minimal amount of the light is transmitted through the monochromator to the sample in the microplate reader or from the sample to the detector. High stray light is another outcome of internal light reflections. This stray light is unwanted wavelengths of light that leak through the slit.
Dual, Double Monochromator
The dual, double monochromator is a second generation technology that features two standard monochromators built one after the other. This device is also called a quad/quadruple monochromator because a reader has four monochromators; two for excitation and two for emission. Here, a broadband light is passed through a first monochromator, in order to select a wavelength. To reduce stray light, a second monochromator is placed after the first one, with a second set of slits and grating. Due to the “double” diffraction and light filtering, only a limited amount of light reaches the sample in the microplate and the detector.
Next Generation LVF Monochromator
The LVF monochromator has been specifically designed for BMG LABTECH's CLARIOstar®, an advanced monochromator-based microplate reader that includes two LVF monochromators; one for excitation and one for emission. With this instrument, light travels through a linear variable short pass and a linear variable long pass filter, which produces the rising and falling edge of the filter, respectively. In this way, the LVF monochromator is able to separate light into distinct wavelengths (from 320 to 850nm) and bandwidths (from 8 to 100nm) that can continually be adjusted. The excitation is separated from the emission light using a linear variable dichroic mirror (LVDM) slide.
Benefits of BMG LABTECH LVF Monochromators
Compared to the first and second generation monochromators, the state-of-the-art LVF monochromators from BMG LABTECH provide the following benefits:
- Excellent blocking of unwanted stray light for lowest background noise and optimum performance
- Highest light transmission for filter-like performance
- Broader bandwidths, of greater than 25nm, for higher sensitivity, particularly in luminescence
- Continuously adjustable bandwidth, from 8 to 100nm, in 1nm steps offers 93 different bandwidths for greatest flexibility
- Removal of stray light problems encountered with traditional monochromators
- Integrated use of monochromators and filters, for exciting with a filter and scanning the emission using the LVF monochromator or vice versa
Conclusion
LVF monochromators designed by BMG LABTECH make the CLARIOstar the most sensitive monochromator-based microplate reader available on the market. These devices are the first monochromators to deliver filter-like performance, with excellent bandwidth and wavelength flexibility.
About BMG Labtech
BMG LABTECH has been committed to producing microplate readers for more than twenty years. By focusing on the needs of the scientific community, the company’s innovative microplate readers have earned the company the reputation of being a technology leader in the field.
BMG LABTECH has developed a wide range of dedicated and multi-mode microplate readers for life sciences applications and high-throughput screening.
All BMG LABTECH microplate readers are "Made in Germany" and are conceived, developed, assembled, and tested entirely at our headquarters in Germany.
Since our establishment in Offenburg, Germany in 1989, BMG LABTECH has expanded to offer a worldwide sales and support network with offices in the USA, UK, Australia, Japan and France. Our subsidiaries, regional offices and distributors are committed to bringing you innovative microplate reader technology with the quality and reliability you expect from a German company.
Our staff includes engineers and scientists from the fields of biology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and physics.
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