Patent ID: 8619370
Filing Date: 2013-12-31
Classification: G01N,G02B

Abstract:
1. A method of combining laser beams in a flow cytometer comprising: providing a first laser beam; focusing said first laser beam with focusable beam shaping optics, having a first cylindrical lens oriented in a first direction and a second cylindrical lens oriented in a second direction that is substantially orthogonal to said first direction, to form a first elliptically shaped focal point, that is focused at a predetermined location that is substantially centrally located on a fluid stream of said flow cytometer; providing a second laser beam; adjusting beam size and divergence of said second laser beam using a beam size adjuster comprising a negative focal length lens and a positive focal length lens to form a substantially collimated second laser beam which forms a second elliptically shaped focal point at substantially said predetermined location, said second elliptically shaped focal point having a size and shape that is substantially the same as said first elliptically shaped focal point; combining said first laser beam and said substantially collimated second laser beam substantially concentrically using a beam combiner so that said first laser beam and said substantially collimated second laser beam are applied to said focusable beam shaping optics in a substantially concentric collimated beam.