Patent ID: 7410793

Claim:
An instrument comprising: a thermal cycler; a plurality of spaced-apart reaction regions connected to the thermal cycler; a light emitting diode source comprising more than one light emitting diode and a body, wherein the more than one light emitting diode is secured in the body, the body comprises a body lens, the more than one light emitting diode directs light through the body lens to form an area light excitation beam, the light emitting diode source is adapted to illuminate at least two of the plurality of reaction regions simultaneously with the area light excitation beam, and there is a correspondence of one to at least two between the more than one light emitting diode and the plurality of spaced-apart reaction regions; a lens disposed along an excitation beam path between the plurality of spaced-apart reaction regions and the light emitting diode source; and a detector disposed along an emission beam path and positioned to detect emission beams emitted front the plurality of spaced-apart reaction regions; wherein the lens is disposed along the emission beam path between the plurality of spaced-apart reaction regions and the detector.