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Label-free optical sensors

  • US 10,365,224 B2
  • Filed: 12/08/2008
  • Issued: 07/30/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for determining the nucleotide sequence of a target nucleic acid molecule, comprising:

  • a substrate;

    a lower cladding layer provided over, and being supported by, said substrate;

    one or more coupling waveguides disposed over said lower cladding layer to input an optical signal;

    an array of label-free optical sensors provided over said lower cladding layer, each of said label-free optical sensors including a waveguide formed into a ring to serve as a ring resonant cavity, each of said ring resonant cavities in proximity to at least one of said one or more coupling waveguides with a spacing that provides an evanescent coupling region between said coupling waveguide and said ring resonant cavity, each label-free optical sensor being configured to modulate an optical signal in response to a nucleotide extension reaction, wherein each label-free optical sensor includes a sensing region that overlaps said evanescent coupling region and is functionalized with a target nucleic acid molecule, and wherein at least a portion of the nucleotide sequence of the target nucleic acid molecule is unknown, and wherein said label-free optical sensors of the array are each configured to produce an optical evanescent field in the sensing region such that when a single nucleotide is added to the target nucleic acid molecule via the nucleotide extension reaction, the label-free optical sensor modulates the optical signal to thereby provide a detectable indication of addition of the single nucleotide to the target nucleic acid molecule;

    a fluid flow control module comprising fluid receiving units to provide paths for different fluids to flow into the fluid flow control module;

    at least one switch connected to the fluid receiving units to select a fluid for flowing through the fluid receiving units, wherein the fluid comprises at least a nucleotide base; and

    a fluid channel connected between the fluid flow control module and the array of label-free optical sensors to allow the selected fluid to flow from the fluid flow control module to the array of label-free optical sensors.

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