Imaging and Imaging Spectroscopy in the ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near infrared (NIR) part have a wide range of applications in astrophysics, planetary studies, heliophysics, commercial and medical diagnostics. A major part of system performance is contributed by the detector metrics. JPL-developed sensors developed using 2D-doping and custom coatings provide high performance across the UV, visible, and NIR region of the spectrum. Applying these 2-D surface and interface engineering technologies to detector structures with gain (e.g., Avalanche Photodiodes or APDs or electron multiplying charged-coupled devices or EMCCDs) enables photon-counting capabilities in solid state format rather than image tube detectors. Initially developed for space exploration applications for detecting faint signals in harsh environments while using low voltage and low power, these high efficiency detectors can be repurposed for medical applications that have much of the same requirements. For example, endogenous and induced fluorescence signatures in tissues as emergent diagnostic tools for abnormal tissue behaviors can potentially be detected using these detectors with high efficiency.
Using JPL high efficiency imaging arrays, transient fluorescence signatures could be detected with small amount of stimulation. This brings the added advantage of precise fluorescence signature quantification, without damage to the host organism or tissue. In this work, we present fluorescence detection of phantom samples that serve as proof of concept demonstration while calibrating the instrument.
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