DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE OF A FIBEROPTIC CONFOCAL FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER

We describe a fiber-optic-based confocal fluorescence spectrometer for obtaining depth-resolved, attenuated fluorescence emission spectra wi th lateral resolution of several microns and depth resolution of tens of microns. The confocal optics of the spectrometer are small, inexpen sive, and easy to construct and to interface to existing spectrometers . We compare the performance of this system to that of conventional fl uorescence spectrometers for nonscattering homogeneous and inhomogeneo us samples. We demonstrate that the confocal measurements readily prov ide information about the sample geometry and optical properties not a vailable from nonconfocal measurements. Potential applications of the technique are discussed.