Patent ID: 8405827

Claim:
A time-resolved spectroscopy system comprising: a light source for producing light to be directed at a sample, said sample comprising at least one light emitting or light absorbing compound: a time-division multiplexing device for taking the radiation scattered or transmitted by the sample as a result of said light impinging on said sample and distributing that radiation to each of a plurality of optical channels; and a detector for detecting the radiation carried by each of said optical channels; wherein the light from the light source is directed through a waveguide and the radiation scattered or transmitted by the sample is collected from the same waveguide; and further comprising an analyzer connected to said detector for analyzing one or more signals produced by said detector to determine the characteristics of the radiation carried by each of said optical channels; wherein the time-division multiplexing device is configured to operate at a pre-selected speed to measure a lifetime of the at least one light emitting or light absorbing compound.