OPTICAL CELL

• US 20100128255A1
• Filed: 07/04/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BP Oil International Limited (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: BP Oil International Limited (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Klotzbucher, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/452,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20100128255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/51
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0825 Test strips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/058 Flat flow cell
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing

Abstract

A wafer (1) comprising an array of channels (2), from which wafer (1) a plurality of optical cells (4) can be produced, each having a channel (2) with an opening into which a sample fluid can be fed, which optical cells (4) are suitable for use in optical analysis employing one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), and which comprise a material that is at least partially transparent to the EMR employed in the optical analysis, which channels (2) are disposed within each cell such that a sample fluid can be fed therein, and can be irradiated with EMR directed through the at least partially transparent material, characterised by the wafer (1) and optical cells (4) having an inner layer and one or more outer layers, the inner layer (8) comprising the channels (2) of the optical cells (4), and one of the outer layers (a, 10) comprising a reflecting surface (27), such that when an optical cell is in use, EMR transmitted through sample fluid (22) in the channel (2) is reflected back through the sample fluid (22).

Claims

1. A wafer comprising an array of channels, from which wafer a plurality of optical cells can be produced each having a channel with an opening into which a sample fluid can be fed, which optical cells are suitable for use in optical analysis employing one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), and which comprise a material that is at least partially transparent to the EMR employed in the optical analysis, which channels are disposed within each cell such that a sample fluid can be fed therein, and can be irradiated with EMR directed through the at least partially transparent material, characterised by the wafer and optical cells having an inner layer and one or more outer layers, the inner layer comprising the channels of the optical cells, and one of the outer layers comprising a reflecting surface such that, when an optical cell is in use, EMR transmitted through sample fluid in the channel is reflected from the reflective surface and back through the sample fluid.

2. A wafer as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one layer of the wafer is silicon.

3. A wafer as claimed in claim 2, in which there is an inner layer of silicon, and an outer layer of borosilicate glass.

4. A wafer as claimed in claim 3, in which there is a silicon layer sandwiched between two layers of borosilicate glass.

5. A wafer as claimed in claim 3, in which the channels are in the silicon layer.

7. A wafer as claimed in claim 1, in which each optical cell comprises a channel with two openings.

8. A wafer as claimed in claim 1, from which or more optical cells can be produced.

9. An optical cell produced form a wafer as claimed in claim 1.

10. An optical cell as claimed in claim 9, in which there are two openings to the channel.

11. An optical analysis device comprising an optical cell as claimed in claim 9.

12. A method of producing a wafer as claimed in claim 1, comprising producing a plurality of channels in a wafer, which wafer comprises a material that is at least partially transparent to the one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation to be used in the optical analysis.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which the wafer comprises a plurality of layers, the channels are produced in one of the layers, and the layers are bonded together to form the wafer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which the wafer comprises a layer of silicon and two layers of borosilicate glass, the channels being produced in the silicon layer.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the borosilicate glass layer(s) is bonded to the silicon by anodic bonding.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which lithography is used to create the channels.

17. A method of preparing an optical cell as claimed in claim 9, comprising cutting a wafer into a plurality of individual optical cells, such that each optical cell comprises a channel with at least one opening.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising the production of a wafer.

19. A method of analysing a sample fluid comprising irradiating a sample fluid in an optical cell with one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), such that EMR transmitted through the sample fluid is reflected back through the sample fluid by a reflective surface, characterised by the optical cell being an optical cell according to claim 9.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the optical cell is part of an optical analysis device.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the one or more wavelengths of EMR are near infrared radiation.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the incident EMR is at a non-perpendicular angle to the reflective surface.

6. A wafer as claimed in claim which all the channels in the array are of the same shape and size.