Fourier scattering methods for encoding microbeads and methods and apparatus for reading the same

• US 20060119913A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illumina Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Illumina Incorporated
• Inventors: Moon, John A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,081,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/2
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00459 Beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/005 Beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00704 integrated with the reactor apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1468 with spatial resolution of the texture or inner structure of the particle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/005 made of photonic crystals or photonic band gap materials photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in integrated optics G02B6/1225; photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in optical fibres G02B6/02295
• CPC Class Codes: G06E 3/005 using electro-optical or opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reading a microbead having a code thereon is provided wherein the code is projected on and read from a Fourier plane. The microbead may be 1-1000 microns (um) or smaller in feature size. The code is projected on the Fourier plane by scattering input light off the microbead. The scattered light from the microbead is directed through an optical arrangement having a transform lens for projecting the code on the Fourier plane, and read on the Fourier plane using a charge coupled device (CCD) or other similar device. The code may include periodic layers of material having different refractivities or phase, including index of refraction differences; periodic spatial modulations having a different phase or amplitude; a periodic binary phase change used to code information in the Fourier plane; a photonic crystal used to encode the information on the microbead, wherein a pattern of holes causes interference between incident and scattered light to form spatial and spectral patterns in the far field that are unique to the pattern of holes; or may be formed in the microbead using a single photoactive inner region, a series of longitudinal holes, different fluorescence regions, or concentric rings of material in a preform.

Claims

1. A method for reading a microbead having a code thereon, wherein the code is projected on and read from a Fourier plane.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the code is projected on the Fourier plane by scattering input light off the microbead.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the code is read from the Fourier plane using a charge coupled device (CCD) or other suitable Fourier plane reading device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a transform lens is arranged between the microbead and the Fourier plane at a distance of about one focal length f from each.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a Fourier plane transform processor performs Fourier plane analysis to determine the code from the resultant refractive index variation.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the code in the microbead takes the form of periodic layers of material with different reflectivity, including material having different reflective spaces.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the code in the microbead takes the form of periodic layers of material having a different phase, including index of refraction differences;

periodic spatial modulations having a different phase or amplitude;

a periodic binary phase change used to code information in the Fourier plane;

a photonic crystal used to encode the information on the microbead, wherein a pattern of holes causes interference between incident and scattered light to form spatial and spectral patterns in the far field that are unique to the pattern of holes;

or the code may be formed in the microbead using a single photoactive inner region, a series of longitudinal holes, different fluorescence regions, or concentric rings of material in a preform.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microbead is microscopic in size having a length in a range of 1-1,000 microns or smaller.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microbead has a length of 1.0-1,000 millimeters or more.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microbead has a substrate having a refractive index of an inner region less than or equal to its outer region.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microbead may be encoded using any one of many different types of Fourier scattering techniques, including a single photoactive inner and/or outer region;

a series of longitudinal holes;

different fluorescence regions;

or concentric rings of material in the preform.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microbead may be encoded with Fourier scattering techniques using photonic crystal microparticles which encode information, where the pattern of the holes causes interferences between the incident and scattered light to form spatial and spectral patterns in the far field that are unique to the pattern of holes.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein incident light provided to the microbead having a photonic crystal therein causes a radiation pattern and spectrum that uniquely encodes information that can be read using a Fourier plane analysis technique.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the readout beam projected on the Fourier plane has a spatial coherence Lc large enough to resolve adjacent frequency components used to identify the microbead.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the method includes steps of identifying the microbead by looking at the presence or absence of particular Fourier spatial frequencies, and choosing a threshold to determine if a particular frequency corresponds to a logical “

1”

or a logical “

0”

.

31. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises implementing the step of the method via a computer program running in a processor, controller or other suitable module in an optical system.

16. An optical arrangement for reading a microbead having a code thereon, wherein the code is projected on a Fourier plane and read by a Fourier plane reading device.

17. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the code is projected on the Fourier plane by scattering input light from a light source off the microbead.

18. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the code is read from the Fourier plane using a charge coupled device (CCD) or other suitable Fourier plane reading device.

19. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein a transform lens is arranged between the microbead and the Fourier plane at a distance of about one focal length f from each.

20. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein a Fourier plane transform processor performs Fourier plane analysis to determine the code from the resultant refractive index variation.

21. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the code in the microbead takes the form of periodic layers of material with different reflectivity, including material having different reflective spaces.

22. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the code in the microbead takes the form of periodic layers of material having a different phase, including index of refraction differences;

periodic spatial modulations having a different phase or amplitude;

a periodic binary phase change used to code information in the Fourier plane;

a photonic crystal used to encode the information on the microbead, wherein a pattern of holes causes interference between incident and scattered light to form spatial and spectral patterns in the far field that are unique to the pattern of holes;

or the code may be formed in the microbead using a single photoactive inner region, a series of longitudinal holes, different fluorescence regions, or concentric rings of material in a preform.

23. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the microbead is microscopic in size having a length in a range of 1-1,000 microns or smaller.

24. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the microbead has a length of 1.0-1,000 millimeters or more.

25. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the microbead has a substrate having a refractive index of an inner region less than or equal to its outer region.

26. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the microbead may be encoded using any one of many different types of Fourier scattering techniques, including a single photoactive inner and/or outer region;

a series of longitudinal holes;

different fluorescence regions;

or concentric rings of material in the preform.

27. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the microbead may be encoded with Fourier scattering techniques using photonic crystal microparticles which encode information, where the pattern of the holes causes interferences between the incident and scattered light to form spatial and spectral patterns in the far field that are unique to the pattern of holes.

28. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein incident light provided to the microbead having a photonic crystal therein causes a radiation pattern and spectrum that uniquely encodes information that can be read using a Fourier plane analysis technique.

29. An optical arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the readout beam projected on the Fourier plane has a spatial coherence Lc large enough to resolve adjacent frequency components used to identify the microbead.

30. An optical arrangement according to claim 29, wherein the method includes steps of identifying the microbead by looking at the presence or absence of particular Fourier spatial frequencies, and choosing a threshold to determine if a particular frequency corresponds to a logical “

1”

or a logical “

0”

.