Electronically readable microarrays
First Claim
1. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:
- (a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and (b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices are disclosed having one or more detection sites. The devices comprise a conductive layer and a plurality of separate conductive elements. The conductive layer has a plurality of openings therethrough and is at equipotential. Each of the conductive elements is exposed within a respective opening in the conductive layer and is separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of the insulating material thereby providing detection sites. The detection sites or groups thereof are electrically isolated from one another. The electrical properties of the exposed surfaces are individually electrically addressable and readable by virtue of the conductive elements and the conductive layer. The exposed surface usually has a reactant attached thereto. The reactant may be the same at each detection site or the reactant at one site may be different from a reactant at another site. In one embodiment the device has within it both sensing circuitry and circuitry for statistically interpreting data sensed by the sensing circuitry. Preferably, the above circuitry is present on the same substrate. Thus, the devices may be electrically independent and the sensing circuitry may be integrated with switching being integral to the device.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:
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(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and (b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 35, 36)
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13. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:
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(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and (b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material, thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable and being adapted to connect sequentially, individually or in groups, to a predetermined sense circuit or predetermined sets thereof wherein said sense circuit is adapted to render for each detection site a determination of the electrical activity adjacent a conductive element of said detection site. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:
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(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and (b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material, thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable and being adapted to connect sequentially, individually or in groups, to a predetermined sense circuit or predetermined sets thereof wherein said sense circuit is adapted to render for each detection site a determination of the electrical activity adjacent a conductive element of said detection site and wherein each sense circuit, or a group thereof, has associated circuitry to assemble a statistical description for a group of said detection sites. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38)
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39. A method for assessing the status of detection sites on a substrate, said method comprising:
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(a) acquiring data electronically from multiple detection sites on a single substrate and (b) assembling a statistical description for a group of detection sites by means of sense circuitry on said substrate. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification