Patent ID: 8410454

Claim:
A method of reducing or eliminating cross talk in a fluorescence detection system having a first illumination source that emits illumination at a first illumination wavelength, a second illumination source that emits illumination at a second illumination wavelength, two detectors that detect at different wavelength ranges, and a sample platform having at least two fluorescent species, wherein a first fluorescent species absorbs light from the first illumination source and emits at a first fluorescence wavelength, and wherein a second fluorescent species absorbs light from the second illumination source and emits at a second fluorescence wavelength, the method comprising: a) in a first illumination and detection setting mode, wherein the first illumination source is set to a high power setting and a first detector is set to a high gain setting, and the second illumination source is set to a low power setting and a second detector is set to a low gain setting: i) simultaneously illuminating at least one of a plurality of pixel locations of the sample platform with illumination from the first and second illumination sources; and ii) simultaneously detecting a first intensity value for each detector, the first detector detecting at the first fluorescence wavelength range, and the second detector detecting at the second fluorescence wavelength range; and thereafter b) in a second illumination and detection setting mode, wherein the first illumination source is set to a low power setting and the first detector is set to a low gain setting, and the second illumination source is set to a high power setting and the second detector is set to a high gain setting: i) simultaneously illuminating the at least one pixel location with illumination from the first and second illumination sources; and ii) simultaneously detecting a second intensity value for each detector; and thereafter c) for each detector, processing the first and second intensity values to produce a merged image value for the at least one pixel location.