Portable multichannel fiber optic biosensor for field detection

A compact, portable fiber optic biosensor is developed that enables monitoring of up to four fiber optic probes simultaneously. The sensor employs a novel optical fiber bundle jumper for exciting and collecting fluorescence emission from the evanescent wave fiber optic probes. A single fiber in the center of the bundle couples laser excitation into the sensor probe, while the surrounding fibers collect the returning fluorescent emission light. This design requires no beamsplitter, enabling the detection optics and control circuitry to be reduced to a 4x6 in. circuit card. Four of these cards are integrated into a single portable system. Results from detection assays for hazardous biological agents and an environmental pollutant are shown. (C) 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.