System and method for nano-opto-mechanical-fluidic sensing of particles

• US 10,234,444 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Bahl, Gaurav, Han, Kewen
• Primary Examiner(s): Stafira, Michael P
• Application Number:
  US15/278,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20170089819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/10 Investigating individual particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1023 Microstructural devices for non-optical measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1436 the optical arrangement forming an integrated apparatus with the sample container, e.g. a flow cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1484 microstructural devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0038 Investigating nanoparticles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1021 Measuring mass of individual particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1029 Particle size
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1454 using phase shift or interference, e.g. for improving contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/014 Resonance or resonant frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0256 Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/036 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/487 of liquid biological material

Abstract

A system and method includes nano opto-mechanical-fluidic resonators (nano-resonators), e.g., for identification of particles, e.g., single viruses and/or cells.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a resonator, the resonator comprising a beam and a nanochannel passing through the beam, the resonator further comprising a photonic crystal positioned in the beam and adjacent the nanochannel, where the nanochannel contains a liquid, and where the liquid contains particles to be sensed,

where the photonic crystal confines light in a photonic mode, the beam confines sound in a mechanical mode, and motion within the mechanical mode modifies the photonic mode;

an optical fiber coupled adjacently to the resonator, the optical fiber to guide a light wave past the resonator, and

a detector positioned at an output of the optical fiber, where the detector detects changes in the light wave to detect a mechanical property of the particles based on the confined sound and a position of the particles based on the confined light.

2. The system of claim 1, where the detection by the detector is label free.

3. The system of claim 1, where the detector simultaneously detects a size and mass of the particles.

4. The system of claim 1, where the particles comprise at least one of viruses, large molecules, DNA and fragments from biological objects.

5. The system of claim 1, where the nanochannel comprises half a width of the beam and the photonic crystal comprises half a width of the beam.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a mixture to suspend the particles.

7. The system of claim 1, where the particles comprise cells.

8. The system of claim 1, where the particles comprise at least one of micro-particles and nanoparticles.

9. The system of claim 1, where the position sensing reduces a uncertainty from the mechanical property sensing.

10. The system of claim 1, where the optical fiber is tapered.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising wavelength division multiplexers positioned on ends of the optical fiber.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a light source connected with one end of the optical fiber and the detector coupled with another end of the optical fiber.

13. The system of claim 12, where the light source comprises a laser.

14. The system of claim 1, where the photonic crystal comprises a plurality of holes which convey where the particle is located within the nanochannel.