On-Chip Polarimetry for High-Throughput Screening of Nanoliter and Smaller Sample Volumes
First Claim
1. A system for measuring optical activity in a sample comprising:
- a chip having a channel formed therein for reception of a sample to be analyzed;
a source of plane polarized light for generating and directing an incident beam of radiation onto said channel; and
a polarization detector for receiving interference fringe pattern radiation that is scattered by said channel and said sample when said beam of radiation is incident thereon and determining whether said scattered radiation has a plane of polarization that has been rotated relative to the plane of polarization by optically active molecules in said sample.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A polarimetry technique for measuring optical activity that is particularly suited for high throughput screening employs a chip or substrate (22) having one or more microfluidic channels (26) formed therein. A polarized laser beam (14) is directed onto optically active samples that are disposed in the channels. The incident laser beam interacts with the optically active molecules in the sample, which slightly alter the polarization or the loser beam as it passes multiple times through the sample. Interference fringe patters (28) are generated by the interaction of the laser beam with the sample and the channel walls. A photodetector (34) is positioned to receive the interference fringe patterns and generate an output signal that is input to a computer or other analyzer (38) for analyzing the signal and determining the rotation of plane polarized light by optically active material in the channel from polarization rotation calculations.
60 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for measuring optical activity in a sample comprising:
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a chip having a channel formed therein for reception of a sample to be analyzed; a source of plane polarized light for generating and directing an incident beam of radiation onto said channel; and a polarization detector for receiving interference fringe pattern radiation that is scattered by said channel and said sample when said beam of radiation is incident thereon and determining whether said scattered radiation has a plane of polarization that has been rotated relative to the plane of polarization by optically active molecules in said sample. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17)
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16. A method for analyzing an optically active sample comprising the steps of:
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providing a chip having a channel formed therein for reception of a sample to be analyzed; disposing a sample to be analyzed in said channel; directing an incident beam of plane polarized light onto said channel; detecting an interference fringe pattern that is generated by said channel and said sample when said beam of radiation is incident thereon and scattered thereby; and determining from said interference fringe pattern, whether said scattered beam of radiation has a plane of polarization that has been rotated relative to the plane of polarization by optically active molecules in said sample. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification