Patent ID: 7221632

Claim:
An optical disc system, comprising: a hybrid disc comprising an optical disc comprising a data carrying layer coupled to a substrate layer, the data carrying layer having an outer diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the substrate layer; and a ring shaped sample carrier having an inner diameter equal to about the outer diameter of the data carrying layer, the sample carrier having one or more recesses formed in a bottom surface of the sample carrier, the recesses configured to hold biological samples, wherein the sample carrier is configured for mounting on the optical disc so that the data carrying layer of the optical disc is inserted into the inner diameter of the sample carrier and the bottom surface of the sample carrier is adjacent the optical disc; an objective assembly for sending an incident beam toward the hybrid disc; a photo detector circuit for generating at least one information-carrying signal in response to receiving at least a portion of the incident beam after the incident beam interacts with the hybrid disc; a signal processing system coupled to the photo detector circuit for determining operational information used to operate the optical disc system and data related to the one or more biological samples; and an adjustment lens coupled at the exit position on said objective assembly whereby said incident beam is refracted to allow said optical disc system to read said hybrid disc.