METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF MOLDED BODIES, IN PARTICULAR OPTICAL STRUCTURES AND USE THEREOF

• US 20100255461A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Lüthi, Heinz, Gmür, Max, CALLENBACH, Tilo, Pawlak, Michael, Bopp, Martin Andreas, Ehrat, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/5
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/7356 the temperature of the mould being near or higher than the melting temperature or glass transition temperature of the moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/38 characterised by the material or the manufacturing process B29C33/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/424 Moulding surfaces provided with means for marking or patterning for injection moulding B29C45/372
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0001 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/37 Mould cavity walls , i.e. the inner surface forming the mould cavity, e.g. linings
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/372 provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2709/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12107 Grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1221 made from organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12597 Noncrystalline silica or noncrystalline plural-oxide component [e.g., glass, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/315 Surface modified glass [e.g., tempered, strengthened, etc.]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacture a body from a thermoplastic plastic with a three-dimensionally structured surface, wherein molding is performed directly from a master made of glass coated with metal oxide, without deposition of further coatings on a surface of the master. The invention also relates to bodies manufactured with this method from a thermoplastic featuring a three-dimensionally structured surface, as well as to planar optical structures likewise manufactured with this method for generating evanescent-field measuring platforms and to a use thereof. The invention furthermore relates to a planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform, comprising a first essentially optical transparent, waveguiding layer (a) with refractive index n₁ and a second essentially optical transparent layer (b) with refractive index n₂, where n₁>n₂, in a case of an embodiment of a planar optical film waveguide, or comprising a metal layer (a′) and a second layer (b), in a case of an embodiment for generating a surface plasmon resonance, wherein the second layer (b) comprises a material from a group comprising cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

Claims

1-97. -97. (canceled)

98. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform, wherein said evanescent-field measuring platform comprises a multilayer system, with a metal layer and/or an essentially optically transparent, waveguiding layer (a) with refractive index n₁ and at least a second, essentially optically transparent layer (b) with refractive index n₂, where n₁>

n₂, and where the second layer (b) consists of a thermoplastic plastic and a material from the group formed by cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

99. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein said evanescent-field measuring platform is a planar optical structure for generating a surface plasmon resonance.

100. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein said evanescent-field measuring platform is a planar optical film waveguide, comprising a first essentially optically transparent waveguiding layer (a) with refractive index n₁ and a second essentially optically transparent layer (b) with refractive index n₂, where n₁>

n₂, and where the second layer (b) of said film waveguide comprises a material from the group formed by cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

101. A planar optical film waveguide according to claim 100, wherein the refractive index of the first optically transparent layer (a) is greater than 1.8.

102. A planar optical film waveguide according to claim 100, wherein the first optically transparent layer (a) comprises Ti0₂, ZnO, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, HfO₂, or ZrO₂, especially preferably TiO₂ and Ta₂O₅.

103. A planar optical film waveguide according to claim 100, wherein the waveguiding layer (a) is in optical contact with at least one optical coupling element for in-coupling of excitation light of one or more wavelengths, from one or more light sources, into layer (a).

104. A planar optical film waveguide according to claim 100, wherein light guided in the optically transparent layer (a) is out-coupled using grating structures (c′

), which are featured in the optically transparent layer (a).

105. A planar optical film waveguide according to claim 100, wherein a further optically transparent layer (b′

) with a lower refractive index than that of layer (a) and with a thickness of 5 nm-10000 nm, preferably 10 nm-1000 nm, is provided between the optically transparent layers (a) and (b) and is in contact with layer (a).

106. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein large-area grating structures (c) and/or (c′

) are featured over extensive surface areas of said optical structure, preferably over the entire surface area thereof.

107. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, comprising multiple grating structures (c) and/or (c′

) on a common, continuous substrate in the essentially optically transparent layer (a) and/or the metal layer.

108. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, comprising a superposition of 2 or more grating structures of differing periodicity with a parallel or nonparallel arrangement of the grating lines.

109. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein one or more grating structures (c) and/or (c′

) show a three-dimensionally varying periodicity that is essentially perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the excitation light in-coupled into the optically transparent layer (a) or of the surface plasmon resonance generated in the metal layer.

110. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein grating structures (c) and, where applicable, additional grating structures (c′

) have a period of 200 nm-1000 nm.

111. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein the resonance angle for in-coupling and out-coupling of a monochromatic excitation light or for excitation of a surface plasmon within an area of a grating structure of at least 4 mm² (with the sides arranged in parallel or not parallel with the lines of the grating structure (c)) or over a distance of at least 2 mm in parallel with the lines does not vary by more than 0.1 (as deviation from a mean value).

112. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein grating structures (c) and/or (c′

) are relief gratings with any profile, for example with a rectangular, triangular or semicircular profile.

113. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein said grating structures (c) and/or (c′

) are formed as relief gratings in the surface of layer (b) facing layer (a) and/or the metal layer and are transferred in the manufacturing process of said waveguide at least to the surface of layer (a) or the metal layer facing layer (b).

114. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein biological or biochemical or synthetic recognition elements are deposited on the surface of layer (a) or the metal layer, or on an adhesion-promoting layer additionally deposited on layer (a) or the metal layer, for the qualitative and/or quantitative detection of one or more analytes in one or more samples brought into contact with said recognition elements.

115. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein the outer dimensions of its base area match the footprint of standard microtiter plates of about 8 cm×

12 cm (with 96 or 384 or 1536 wells)

116. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein recesses are formed in layer (b) to create sample compartments.

117. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, comprising mechanically and/or optically identifiable markings to facilitate adjustment in an optical system and/or to facilitate the connection of said planar optical structure to a further body for creating one or more sample compartments.

118. A planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98, wherein the outer dimensions of its base area match the footprint of standard microtiter plates of about 8 cm×

12 cm (with 96 or 384 or 1536 wells)

119. Use of a planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform according to claim 98 for quantitative and or qualitative analyses to determine chemical, biochemical or biological analytes in screening methods in pharmaceutical research, combinatorial chemistry, clinical and pre-clinical development, for real-time binding studies and to determine kinetic parameters in affinity screening and in research, for qualitative and quantitative analyte determinations, especially for DNA and RNA analytics, for the generation of toxicity studies and the determination of gene or protein expression profiles, and for the determination of antibodies, antigens, pathogens or bacteria in pharmaceutical product research and development, human and veterinary diagnostics, agrochemical product research and development, for symptomatic and pre-symptomatic plant diagnostics, for patient stratification in pharmaceutical product development and for therapeutic drug selection, for the determination of pathogens, nocuous agents and germs, especially of salmonella, prions, viruses and bacteria, in food and environmental analytics.