Patent ID: 8389288

Claim:
A method for thermal cycling of biological or chemical samples comprising: disposing a plurality of sample volumes in a block comprising a plurality of block segments thermally decoupled from one another; disposing a thermoelectric device comprising a plurality of respective thermoelectric elements in operative association with respective block segments of the plurality of block segments; inputting at least one temperature cycle into a control unit for the plurality of block segments; measuring the actual temperature of each block segment during the at least one temperature cycle; independently modulating the temperature of each respective block segment via the respective thermoelectric element of the thermoelectric device and a heated cover in thermal communication with the block, wherein the temperature is modulated by comparing the measured actual temperature to the at least one temperature cycle input into the control unit; and equalizing the temperature of the plurality of block segments to a substantially uniform temperature via a plurality of respective thermal plates operatively associated with the plurality of block segments.