Patent ID: 8040515

Claim:
A fluorescence detection apparatus comprising: a sample arranging unit for arranging a liquid sample has a transparent body having optical transparency; a light source for irradiating a sample arranging surface of said sample arranging unit with a light at a predetermined incident angle; and an optical detection unit for detecting fluorescence radiated by said liquid sample in response to the irradiation of light from said light source, wherein a value of (a dimension in a direction parallel to a plane of incidence of a section by a surface vertical to an optical axis of the incident light on said sample arranging surface) /(a dimension in a direction vertical to the plane of incidence of the section by the surface vertical to the optical axis of the incident light on said sample arranging surface) is substantially equal to a cosine function of said incident angle so that an aspect ratio of an irradiated region of light in said sample arranging surface is 1±0.1, wherein said sample arranging unit further includes a substrate and the transparent body is covered with a blackout coating having an aperture of a predetermined form and said liquid sample on the side of said sample arranging surface, and wherein the predetermined form of said aperture approximates an ellipse whose major axis and minor axis have a ratio of 1±0.1 in length.