IMPLANTABLE SENSOR

• US 20120226118A1
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indigo Diabetes NV
• Original Assignee: Indigo Diabetes NV
• Inventors: DELBEKE, Danaë, BAETS, Roel, BOGAERTS, Wim, RYCKEBOER, Eva Maria Paula
• Granted Patent: US 9,532,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1459 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12061 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12123 Diode
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12138 Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12021 Comprising cascaded AWG devices; AWG multipass configuration; Plural AWG devices integrated on a single chip

Abstract

A sensor is described for sensing a substance such as for example glucose. The sensor is implantable in the body of a living creature. The sensor comprises a photonic integrated circuit, e.g. silicon-photonics, based radiation processor for spectrally processing radiation interacting with the sample. A continuous monitoring system also is described using such a sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor for sensing a substance, the sensor being implantable in the body of a living creature or an object, and the sensor comprising a photonics integrated circuit based radiation processor for spectrally processing radiation interacting with the substance.

2. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the radiation processor comprises a multiplexer or de-multiplexer for obtaining spectrally resolved information from the spectrally processed radiation.

3. A sensor according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is waveguide based and configured for evanescent or free space sensing.

4. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is waveguide based and configured for evanescent sensing.

5. A sensor for sensing a substance according to claim 1, wherein the photonics integrated circuit based radiation processor is a silicon photonics based radiation processor.

6. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor comprising a measurement region from which the radiation is captured, wherein the radiation processor and measurement region are spatially configured to allow for substance-sampling free measurements and/or wherein the radiation processor and measurement region are sized so as to allow for time-dependent substance measurements based on spontaneous displacement of the substance in the body and/or wherein the measurement region is an open-space measurement region so that it is not enclosed by sensor walls.

7. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor comprising a photonic integrated circuit compatible, integrated detecting element for detecting the radiation processed by the radiation processor.

8. A sensor according to claim 7, wherein the detecting element is a detecting element monolithically integrated with the radiation processor or heterogeneously integrated with the radiation processor or hybridly integrated with the radiation processor.

9. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor comprising a photonics integrated circuit compatible, integrated radiation source for irradiating the substance in a measurement region.

10. A sensor according to claim 9, wherein the radiation source is a radiation source monolithically integrated with the radiation processor or heterogeneously integrated with the radiation processor or hybridly integrated with the radiation processor.

11. A sensor according to claim 10, wherein the radiation source is fibre-coupled to the radiation processor.

12. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the photonics integrated circuit based sensor is adapted for operating in at least a wavelength region of 1560 nm to 1850 nm and/or is adapted for operating in at least a wavelength region of 2080 nm to 2325 nm.

13. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is adapted for performing said spectrally processing radiation prior to interaction of the radiation with the substance to be sensed or wherein the sensor is adapted for performing said spectrally processing radiation after interaction of the radiation with the substance.

14. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor has a sensor configuration such that a measurement region of the sensor is surrounded by components of the sensor or such that a measurement region of the sensor lies substantially at one side of all components of the sensor.

15. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor being configured for obtaining depth-related information regarding the sample and/or the sensor being configured for optical coherence tomography and/or the sensor being configured for spectrally resolved optical coherence tomography wherein the radiation processor comprises an interferometer and is adapted for processing obtained interference data in several different windows and/or wherein the sensor is configured for spatially resolved detection and for deriving said depth-resolved information regarding the sample based thereon.

16. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the radiation processor is adapted for spatially resolved detection of scattered or reflected radiation and/or wherein the radiation processor comprises a plurality of cascading wavelength multiplexers for increasing a number of channels for spectrally processing radiation and/or wherein the radiation processor comprises a plurality of tuneable filters for increasing a number of channels for spectrally processing radiation.

17. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein frequency or time-domain multiplexing is used for increasing a number of channels for spectrally processing radiation and/or wherein a Vernier-shifted spectral response is used for increasing a number of channels for spectrally processing radiation.

18. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor comprising an electronics component stacked with the sensing element and radiation source, wherein the connection between sensing element and radiation source on the one hand and the electronics on the other hand is made by through silicon vias.

19. A sensor according to claim 1, the sensor being a glucose sensor or the sensor being a urea sensor or the sensor being an optical coherence tomography imager or the sensor being implantable in a bioreactor.

20. A continuous monitoring system comprising an implantable sensor for sensing a substance, the implantable sensor being implantable in the body of a living creature or an object, and the sensor comprising a photonics integrated circuit based radiation processor for spectrally processing radiation interacting with the substance, and a readout system for wirelessly receiving data sensed by the sensor.