Moving analytes and photosensors

• US 20080186504A1
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kiesel, Peter, Bassler, Michael, Schmidt, Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/454
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• 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: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/391 Intracavity sample
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/031 Multipass arrangements

Abstract

While two or more analytes within an optical cavity move relative to an array of photosensing elements, the cavity provides output light that has a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement. The output light is photosensed to obtain sensing results that depend on the position/time varying intensity function. The sensing results are used to obtain information about at least one of the analytes. The relative movement can, for example, be caused by moving analytes within channels within the cavity, such as by causing flow of a medium that carries the analytes through the channels. Or the analytes can be in wells of a biochip, with the cavity defined by reflective slides on opposite surfaces of the biochip, and the slides and biochip can be caused to move together relative to the array.

Claims

1. A method of using optical cavities;

the method comprising;

while a set of two or more analytes within an optical cavity move relative to an array of photosensing elements;

operating the optical cavity to provide output light;

the output light having a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement; and

operating the photosensing elements to photosense the output light, the photosensing elements providing sensing results in response to the output light, the sensing results depending on the position/time varying intensity function; and

using the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the relative movement between the analytes and the array.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the analytes are in a medium in a set of one or more channels within the optical cavity and the array is connected to the cavity, the act of causing the relative motion comprising:

causing flow of the medium through the channels.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the set of channels includes at least two channels.

5. The method of claim 4 in which all the channels in the set are substantially parallel.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the act of operating the optical cavity to provide output light comprises:

operating the optical cavity to provide output light in first and second modes;

the first and second modes having respective first and second intensity functions, respectively, within respective first and second photon energy ranges;

the act of operating the photosensing elements comprising;

operating first and second sets of the photosensing elements to photosense in the first and second photon energy ranges, respectively, along first and second ones of the channels, respectively.

7. The method of claim 2 in which the analytes are in wells of a biochip and the cavity is defined by reflective slides on opposite surfaces of the biochip, the act of causing the relative movement comprising:

causing the slides and the biochip to move together relative to the array.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the act of operating the optical cavity comprises:

operating the optical cavity to provide output light in a set of one or more modes;

each mode in the set having a respective intensity functions;

the respective intensity function of at least one mode in the set having a position/time variation that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the act of using the sensing results comprises:

obtaining information about at least one of refractive index and absorption of at least one of the analytes.

10. A system comprising:

an optical cavity component that includes an optical cavity in which two or more analytes are present;

the optical cavity being operable to provide output light;

an array of photosensing elements;

an analyte/array relative movement component that causes relative movement between the analytes in the optical cavity and the array of photosensing elements;

the output light of the optical cavity having a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement;

a photosensing component that photosenses the output light to obtain sensing results that depend on the varying intensity function; and

an information obtaining component that uses the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes.

11. The system of claim 10 in which the optical cavity is one of a laser cavity and a homogeneous or inhomogeneous transmissive cavity.

12. The system of claim 10 in which the optical cavity provides output light in a mode with the mode'"'"'s respective intensity function having a respective intensity peak.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the cavity is a transmissive cavity;

the mode being a transmission mode or a reflection mode.

14. The system of claim 13 in which the intensity function of the mode includes information about an optical characteristic of one or more of the analytes.

15. The system of claim 10 in which the array of photosensing elements is on a photosensing IC.

16. The system of claim 10 in which the information obtaining component includes processing circuitry connected to receive the sensing results from the array of photosensing elements.

17. A method of obtaining information about analytes using an optical cavity that is operable to provide output light in one or more modes, output light in each mode having an intensity function within a respective photon energy subrange;

the method comprising;

while a set of two or more analytes within the optical cavity move relative to an array of photosensing elements;

operating the optical cavity to provide output light;

each analyte following a respective path relative to the array during the relative movement and having an optical characteristic that affects the output light of the cavity along its path;

in response, the output light having a position/time varying intensity function that depends both on the optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement; and

photosensing the output light along the paths of the analytes with the photosensing elements, the act of photosensing comprising;

at each of two or more positions along the paths, photosensing in the respective photon energy subranges of respective ones of the modes to obtain sensing results that depend on the position/time varying intensity function; and

using the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

causing relative movement between the analytes and the array.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the analytes are in a medium in a set of one or more channels within the cavity and the array is connected to the cavity, the act of causing relative motion comprising:

causing flow of the medium through the channels.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the cavity is a transmissive cavity and the modes are transmission modes or reflection modes;

the act of photosensing comprising;

photosensing in the respective photon energy subrange of first and second ones of the modes along first and second ones of the channels, respectively.

21. The method of claim 18 in which the analytes are in wells of a biochip and the cavity is defined by reflective slides on opposite surfaces of the biochip, the act of causing relative motion comprising:

causing the slides and the biochip to move together relative to the array.

22. The method of claim 17 in which the act of photosensing comprises:

obtaining photosensed quantities that indicate intensities sensed by respective elements of the array.

23. The method of claim 17 in which the act of using the sensing results comprises:

obtaining information about at least one of refractive index and absorption of at least one of the analytes.

24. The method of claim 17 in which the position/time varying intensity function includes one or more peaks, the act of using the sensing results comprises:

using the sensing results to detect a change in a feature of the varying intensity function.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the feature is one of a central value, a maximum intensity, a contrast, and an intermediate intensity width of at least of the peaks.