Article comprising IR-reflective multi-well plates

• US 20020179835A1
• Filed: 06/02/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iiya Feygin, Techelan LLC
• Original Assignee: Iiya Feygin
• Inventors: Feygin, Ilya
• Granted Patent: US 6,563,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/332
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0851 Bottom walls
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/168 Specific optical properties, e.g. reflective coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5085 for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3563 for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor

Abstract

An article including a multi-well plate that has an infrared radiation (“IR”) reflective coating disposed over the surface of the wells. In some embodiments, the wells have a parabolic or near parabolic shape. In additional embodiments, the wells, which have a parabolic or near parabolic shape, are truncated at or near a focal plane of the well. In some further embodiments, the wells have a hemispheric shape or a truncated hemispheric shape. IR imaging systems that incorporate the multi-well plates described herein exhibit improved sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio.

Claims

1. An article comprising:

a multi-well plate, said multi-well plate comprising;

a base comprising a first material;

a plurality of wells disposed in said base, said wells having a mouth that is substantially co-planar with a first major surface of said base; and

a coating disposed on said wells, said coating comprising a second material that reflects infrared radiation.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said second material comprises gold.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein said coating has a thickness of at least about 1000 microns.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein said first material has a low thermal conductivity.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein a number of wells in said plurality is selected from the group consisting of 96 wells, 384 wells and 1536 wells.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein said wells have a parabolic shape.

7. The article of claim 6 wherein said wells are truncated at or near a focal plane thereof.

8. The article of claim 1 wherein said article is an infrared imaging system.

9. The article of claim 8, further comprising:

a multi-well plate holder for supporting said multi-well plate;

an isothermal chamber that receives said multi-well plate holder and said multi-well plate;

an infrared camera that is focused on said multi-well plate, said infrared camera disposed outside of said isothermal chamber; and

signal processing electronics that are electrically connected to said infrared camera and that receive a signal that is generated by said infrared camera.

10. The article of claim 8 further comprising:

a detector that is disposed in parallel, opposed and aligned relation with said multi-well plate, wherein said detector generates a signal indicative of infrared radiation that it receives; and

a space between said detector and said multi-well plate, wherein said space is about 1 millimeter or less.

11. The article of claim 10 wherein said detector comprises a focal plane array.

12. The article of claim 8 further comprising a detector plate that is disposed in parallel, opposed and aligned relation with said multi-well plate, said detector plate comprising:

a plurality of wells having a parabolic shape;

a coating disposed on said wells, said coating comprising a third material that reflects infrared radiation; and

a sensor element disposed at a focal point within said wells, wherein said sensor element generates a signal indicative of infrared radiation it receives.

13. The article of claim 12 wherein a number of wells in said detector plate is equal to a number of wells in said multi-well plate.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein said number of wells is selected from the group consisting of 96 wells, 384 wells and 1536 wells.

15. The article of claim 12 wherein said detector plate further comprises a base, wherein said wells are disposed in said base, said base comprising:

a first major surface that is co-planar with a mouth of said wells;

a second major surface that is parallel to said first major surface; and

openings through said base that place an interior of said wells in communication with said second major surface.

16. The article of claim 15 further comprising a plurality of support conduits, wherein:

one of said support conduits is disposed within each said opening through said base;

a first end of said support conduit extends into said well; and

said sensor element is attached to said first end of said support conduit.

17. The article of claim 16 further comprising an electrical conductor that is electrically connected to each said sensor element, wherein a portion of said electrical conductor is disposed within said support conduit.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein said electrical conductor is also electrically connected to an amplifier.

19. The article of claim 12 further comprising a space that separates said detector plate from said multi-well plate.

20. The article of claim 19 wherein said space is about 1 millimeter.

21. The article of claim 8 wherein said wells have a hemispheric shape and each said well has a radiation-transparent window that is transparent to infrared radiation;

and further comprising;

a reflector that is in optical communication with said mouth of each said well, wherein said reflector reflects substantially all infrared radiation leaving said mouth of said wells back into said wells; and

a sensor element that is in optical communication with said radiation-transparent window, wherein said sensor element generates a signal indicative of infrared radiation that it receives.

22. The article of claim 21 wherein said hemispheric shaped-wells are truncated such that the bottom of said wells are flat.

23. The article of claim 22 wherein said reflector comprises:

a plurality of wells having a hemispheric shape; and

a IR-reflective coating that is disposed on said wells.

24. The article of claim 22 wherein said reflector is hingeably attached to said multi-well plate.

25. The article of claim 22 further comprising a fiber, a first end of which fiber is in optical communication with said radiation-transparent window and a second end of which fiber is in optical communication with said sensor element.

27. The article of claim 26 wherein said wells have a parabolic shape.

28. The article of claim 27 further comprising:

a sensor element disposed at a focal point within said wells, wherein said sensor element generates a signal indicative of infrared radiation that it receives.

29. The article of claim 28 further comprising an electrical conductor that is electrically connected to said sensor element and that conducts said signal out of said well.

30. The article of claim 26 wherein said wells are truncated at or near a focal plane thereof.

31. The article of claim 26 wherein said wells have a hemispheric shape;

and further comprising;

a reflector having a plurality of wells each having a hemispheric shape, and a coating disposed on said wells that reflects radiation, wherein, when said reflector and said multi-well plate are disposed in abutting relation, each one well of said reflector aligns with one well of said multi-well plate such that each pair of aligned hemispheres forms a closed substantially spherical enclosure;

a plurality of radiation-transparent windows that are transparent to infrared radiation, one of each said radiation-transparent windows being disposed in each said substantially spherical enclosure; and

a sensor element that is in optical communication with each said radiation-transparent window, wherein said sensor element generates a signal indicative of infrared radiation that it receives.

32. The article of claim 31 wherein said hemispheric shaped-wells in said multi-well plate are truncated such that the bottom of said wells are flat.

33. The article of claim 31 wherein one of said radiation-transparent windows is disposed in each well in said reflector.

34. The article of claim 32 wherein one of said radiation-transparent windows is disposed in each well in said multi-well plate.

35. The article of claim 31 wherein said radiation-transparent window is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, quartz and germanium.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the step of detecting further comprises generating a signal indicative of the infrared radiation that is reflected to said focal point.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said step of detecting further comprises amplifying said signal.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said step of detecting further comprises processing the amplified signal in signal processing electronics.

26. An article comprising:

a base comprising a material having a low thermal conductivity;

a plurality of wells disposed in a two dimensional array at a first major surface of said base, and

a coating disposed on said wells, said coating comprising a material that reflects infrared radiation.

36. A method comprising:

emitting infrared radiation near a focal plane;

receiving said emitted infrared radiation at a first surface;

reflecting said received infrared radiation from said first surface in a direction that is perpendicular to said focal plane;

receiving said reflected infrared radiation at a second surface;

reflecting said received, reflected infrared radiation from said second surface to a focal point; and

detecting said infrared radiation at said focal point.