System and method for molecular sample measurement

• US 6,404,495 B1
• Filed: 04/10/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corning Applied Technologies Corp (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Applied Technologies Corp (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tabasky, Marvin, Melman, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US09/546,058
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 356/344, 356/244, 356/246, 204/451, 204/452, 204/455, 204/470, 204/601, 204/603, 204/605, 204/619, 204/620, 204/612
• US Class Current: 356/344
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44721 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44782 of a plurality of samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/466 with separation columns in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/74 Optical detectors measurement of intensity, velocity, spectral content, polarisation, or phase of infrared, visible or ultraviolet light G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3636 the mechanical coupling means being grooves G02B6/3652 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3652 the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/368 with pitch conversion between input and output plane, e.g. for increasing packing density
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3692 with surface micromachining involving etching, e.g. wet or dry etching steps surface micromachining involving subtractive techniques B81C1/00055
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3803 Adjustment or alignment devices for alignment prior to splicing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4249 comprising arrays of active devices and fibres

Abstract

A system for aligning the optical components of a chemical analysis system in which capillaries or optical fibers are supported by a substrate. The system provides for alignment of elements of an electrophoresis system in an efficient high sampling rate capability. The system provides multiple sources, such as lasers or LEDs that are optically coupled to each capillary or channel. Multi-analyte capability, a variety of analysis modes and DNA sequencing operations are applications of systems using a plurality of lasers per channel.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a fiber optic delivery system to a light emitting diode array comprising:

providing a channel flourescence system;

mounting a plurality of light emitting diodes on an assembly;

controlling the light emitted by the light emitting diodes with a driver circuit;

positioning the light emitting diodes relative to an optical fiber delivery system; and

optically coupling the light emitting diode array to the optical fiber delivery system with a plurality of lenses.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising collecting fluorescent light from the channel fluorescence system with an optical fiber collection system.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising optically coupling a detector to the optical fiber collection system.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising coupling light from the optical fiber collection system to a plurality of detectors with a plurality of lenses.

5. The method of claim 1 further compriing modulating the light emitted by the light emitting diodes.

6. A method for selecting a bandwidth of detected light in a flourescence detection system comprising:

providing a plurality of capillary channels, each channel being optically coupled to a light source and containing a fluorescence source;

modulating intensity of the light source at a different frequency for each channel;

mounting a fluorescence detector that is optically coupled to a fluorescence source in each channel; and

electronically filtering a detected signal to select a bandwidth of fluorescence emitted by the source for each channel.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising coupling a plurality of light sources to a plurality of channels, each channel containing a fluorescing light source.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing a fiber optic delivery system to couple the light sources to the channels.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a fiber optic collection system.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a plurality of fluorescence detectors.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a light emitting diode light source.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a semiconductor laser light source.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising modulating a light source coupled to a channel containing the fluorescence source.

19. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a plurality of modulators that control a frequency of light emitted by a plurality of light sources.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising providing a lock-in amplifier connected to a modulator to control a frequency and phase of a detected signal.

14. A method for synchronous detection of a capillary electrophoresis system comprising:

connecting a plurality of light sources to a plurality of channels using a fiber optic delivery system;

modulating the light sources at different frequencies; and

collecting emitted fluorescence from the channels using a fiber optic collection system;

determining ratio of amplitudes of frequencies contained in a detected fluorescence signal.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a plurality of light emitting diode light sources.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a plurality of semiconductor laser light sources.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing an electronic controller connected to each of the light sources.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a plurality of detectors, optically coupled to the fiber optic collection system.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a plurality of modulators that modulate the light sources at different frequencies and a plurality of photodetectors connected to electronic filters.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a plurality of lock-in amplifiers to control a frequency and phase of a detected signal.