Patent ID: 8779390

Claim:
An apparatus for use in a time gated luminescence detection system, the apparatus comprising: a) a movement axis; b) an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface having a greater distal extent from the movement axis than the lower surface; c) a first communication portion for providing a first optical communication path between an illumination source location and a sample location, wherein the first communication portion comprises a reflective surface distal the movement axis and contiguous with both the upper and lower surfaces and the distal extent of the apparatus, wherein the reflective surface is aligned for deflecting light between the illumination source location and the sample location; d) a second communication portion for (i) providing a second optical communication path between the sample location and a detection location, the second communication portion being operable to enable detection at the detection location of a desired optical emission from an illuminated sample which in use is located at the sample location via the second optical communication path, and (ii) concurrently preventing optical communication on the first optical communication path; and e) a gate portion for gating the first and second optical communication paths; the apparatus being capable of being arranged to provide the first optical communication path, to gate the first and second optical communication paths and to provide the second optical communication path in a sequential manner thereby to respectively place the apparatus in an excitation state, a gated state and a detection state.