Method of enhancing absorption spectral signals of biological samples in terahertz wavebands

• US 10,641,703 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Shanghai For Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: University of Shanghai For Science and Technology
• Inventors: Peng, Yan, Zhang, Tengfei, Zhu, Yiming, Xu, Bowei, Chen, Wanqing, Qi, Binbin, Zhang, Xiuping
• Primary Examiner(s): Jo, Taeho
• Application Number:
  US16/024,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20180306712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 675 Days
• Field of Search: 2503411
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/36 Embedding or analogous mounting of samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/42 Low-temperature sample treatment, e.g. cryofixation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/368 Mounting multiple samples in one block, e.g. TMA [Tissue Microarrays]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3581 using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3586 by Terahertz time domain spectroscopy [THz-TDS]

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of enhancing absorption spectral signals of a biological sample in a terahertz waveband in which the biological sample are embedded and supported with black silicon. In the method, the biological sample are filled between the surface micro-nano structures of a black silicon material and then freeze-dried. When the terahertz wave is incident upon the black silicon material, multiple reflections will occur between the micro-nano structures, so that the terahertz wave passes through the biological sample multiple times to increase the distance of interaction between the terahertz waves and the biological sample, allowing for enhanced absorption spectral signals of the biological sample and improved identifiability of the biological sample. The method is simple and easy to implement and low in cost.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing absorption spectral signals of a biological sample in a terahertz waveband, comprising:

1) filling surface micro-nano structures of a black silicon material with the biological sample to form a black silicon sample sheet, and freezing the black silicon sample sheet in a freeze dryer at −

80°

C. for 2 hours and then drying the black silicon sample sheet in a vacuum chamber for 12 hours;

2) placing a terahertz source, a detection frame and a signal detector successively on a single axis and then putting the terahertz source, the detection frame and the signal detector in a measurement box;

placing the black silicon sample sheet prepared in the step

     1) on the detection frame;

closing the measurement box and introducing dry gases into the measurement box; and

3) turning on the terahertz source when an ambient humidity of the measurement box is reduced to 5% or lower, so that terahertz waves generated by the terahertz source are incident on a first surface of the black silicon sample sheet carried on the detection frame;

wherein the surface micro-nano structures of the black silicon sample sheet enable the incident terahertz waves to be reflected multiple times and pass through the biological sample that are filled between the micro-nano structures;

the terahertz waves carrying characteristic signals of the biological sample emerge from a second surface of the black silicon sample sheet opposite to the first surface, and are detected and received by the signal detector; and

the enhanced absorption spectra of the biological sample is obtained after calculation and analysis.