ABSTRACT

Optical methods are among the oldest and best-established techniques for sensing biochemical analytes. Instrumentation for optical measurements generally consists of a light source, a number of optical components to generate a light beam with specific characteristics and to direct this light to some modulating agent, and a photodetector for processing the optical signal. The central part of an optical sensor is the modulating component, and a major part of this chapter will focus on how to exploit the interaction of an analyte with optical radiation in order to obtain essential biochemical information.