MICROELECTRONIC SENSOR DEVICE FOR OPTICAL EXAMINATIONS ON A WETTED SURFACE

• US 20100328654A1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers Nederland BV (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Immink, Albert Hendrik Jan, Verschuren, Coen Adrianus
• Granted Patent: US 8,411,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/237.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/11 Filling or emptying of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence

Abstract

The application relates to a method and a microelectronic sensor device for making optical examinations in an investigation region (13) at the contact surface (12) of a carrier (10), wherein an input light beam (L1, L1′) is sent from a light source (20) towards the investigation region (13), and wherein an output light beam (L2, L2′) coming from the investigation region (13) is detected by a light detector (30). An evaluation unit (50) that is coupled to the light detector (30) is adapted to determine the wetting grade of the investigation region (13) based on a characteristic parameter of the output light beam (L2, L2′), e.g. its intensity. In a preferred embodiment, the evaluation unit (50) is adapted to determine a change in the light intensity caused by a liquid contacting the contact surface (12). The wetting grade may particularly be detected in a test region (14) that is located adjacent to the investigation region (13) and that has a higher roughness than the investigation region (13).

Claims

1. A microelectronic sensor device for optical examinations in an investigation region (13) at the contact surface (12) of a carrier (10), comprising

a) a light source (20) for emitting an input light beam (L1, L1′

) towards the contact surface (12);

b) a light detector (30) for determining a characteristic parameter of an output light beam (L2, L2′

) that comes from the contact surface (12);

c) an evaluation unit (50) for detecting the wetting grade of the investigation region (13) based on the determined characteristic parameter.

2. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the characteristic parameter comprises the amount of light of the output light beam (L2, L2′

).

3. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the evaluation unit (50) is adapted to determine and compare the characteristic parameters before and after a fluid has been applied to the contact surface.

4. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the evaluation unit (50) is adapted to process a triggering signal from a fluid controller (41) that controls the application of fluid to the contact surface (12).

5. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the evaluation unit (50) is adapted to determine and compare the characteristic parameters before and after a carrier (10) is placed into the reach of the input light beam (L1, L1′

).

6. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the light source (20) comprises a beam regulator (22) for at least temporarily emitting an input light beam (L1′

) into the surroundings (14) of the investigation region (13).

7. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises a scanning unit for moving a single light beam, a switching unit for switching between at least two light beams, and/or a collimator unit (22) for changing the width of the input light beam (L1, L1′

).

8. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the light detector (30) comprises a plurality of different sensor units (31, 32) associated to different components of the output light beam (L2, L2′

).

9. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises a signaling unit (51) for indicating the wetting grade, particularly an insufficient wetting, of the investigation region (13).

10. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises a wetting regulator, particularly an ultrasonic vibrator (44), for adjusting the wetting of the investigation region (13).

11. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises an operation controller (60) for controlling the light source (20), the light detector (30), a magnetic actuator, a heating and/or means for dried-label agitation in dependence on the detection result of the evaluation unit (50).

12. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1,

characterized in that the operation controller (60) is adapted to initiate an optical examination in the investigation region (13) after a predetermined wetting grade has been detected.

13. A carrier (10) for a microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1, comprising a contact surface (12) with an investigation region (13), wherein said contact surface (12) has at least locally a roughness of more than about 100 nm.

14. A carrier (10) for a microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1, comprising a contact surface (12) with an investigation region (13), wherein the contact surface (12) has a higher roughness in a test region (14) near the investigation region (13) than in the investigation region (13).

16. Use of the microelectronic sensor device or the carrier according to claim 1 for molecular diagnostics, biological sample analysis, or chemical sample analysis.

15. A method for making optical examinations in an investigation region (13) at the contact surface (12) of a carrier (10), comprising

a) emitting an input light beam (L1, L1′

) towards the contact surface (12);

b) determining a characteristic parameter of an output light beam (L2, L2′

) that comes from the contact surface (12);

c) detecting the wetting grade of the investigation region (13) based on the determined characteristic parameter.