System for optically analyzing a substance with a selected single-wavelength

1. A method of using a light source carousel including a plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources, comprising:

selecting a desired single-wavelength light source from said plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources;

illuminating an analyte with said desired single-wavelength light source; and

detecting a wavelength associated with said analyte when illuminated by said selected single-wavelength;

said selecting of the desired single-wavelength light source being accomplished by rotating said carousel which supports said plurality of single-wavelength light sources so as to optically couple one of said light source with said analyte, and rotating a micro-fluidic disk bearing said analyte to position said analyte for illumination;

wherein said carousel bearing said light sources and said micro-fluidic disk are concentric and rotate on a common axis.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selecting a desired single-wavelength light source from said plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources is at least partially based on an absorption or emission characteristic of said analyte.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selecting a desired single-wavelength light source from said plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources comprises:

identifying a peak or plateau in an absorption or emission spectrum of said analyte; and

selecting a single-wavelength light source with a radiation wavelength associated with said absorption or emission spectrum peak or plateau.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

illuminating a plurality of analytes simultaneously with said plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources; and

simultaneously detecting wavelengths associated with said plurality of illuminated analytes.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said simultaneously detecting wavelengths associated with said plurality of illuminated analytes comprises detecting said wavelengths with a charge coupled device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein there is a one-to-one correspondence between said plurality of light sources and cuvettes on said micro-fluidic disk.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising additionally rotating said carousel to optically couple said analyte to a series of said light sources, in which said light sources emit different wavelengths of light.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting a desired single-wavelength light source comprises translating a substrate bearing said plurality of light sources with respect to said analyte so as to optically couple a selected light source with said analyte.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a light pipe to optically couple said plurality of light sources with said analyte.

10. A method of using a light source carousel including a plurality of selectable single-wavelength light sources to analyze number of analytes, said method comprising:

rotating said carousel which supports said plurality of single-wavelength light sources so as to optically couple one of said light sources with said analytes;

rotating a micro-fluidic disk bearing said analytes in a number of cuvettes defined in the micro-fluidic disk to position said analytes for illumination;

illuminating said analytes with said optically coupled light source; and

detecting light from said illuminated analytes,

in which there is a one-to-one correspondence between said plurality of light sources and cuvettes on said micro-fluidic disk.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said carousel bearing said light sources and said micro-fluidic disk are concentric and rotate on a common axis.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising additionally rotating said carousel to optically couple said analyte to a series of said light sources, in which said light sources emit different wavelengths of light.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein detecting light from said illuminated analyte further comprises detecting analyte chemical reaction products in said sample of said analyte.