Optical systems and methods for rapid screening of libraries of different materials

• US 6,833,921 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Freeslate Inc. (Unchained Labs Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symyx Technologies Incorporated (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Inventors: McFarland, Eric W., Danielson, Earl, Archibald, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Punnoose, Roy M.
• Application Number:
  US10/153,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 356/364, 356/368-370, 324/223, 324/212, 324/46
• US Class Current: 506/12
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00317 Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00364 Pipettes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00378 Piezoelectric or ink jet dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0043 for direct application of reagents, e.g. through openings in a shutter
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00443 Thin film deposition
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00497 Features relating to the solid phase supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/005 Beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00511 Walls of reactor vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00515 in the shape of strings
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0052 in the shape of elongated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00536 in the shape of disks
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00583 Features relative to the processes being carried out
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0059 Sequential processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00621 by physical means, e.g. trenches, raised areas
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00641 : the porous medium being continuous, e.g. porous oxide substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 : Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00675 : In-situ synthesis on the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00689 : using computers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 : Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 : Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00738 : Organic catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00745 : Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00747 : Catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0075 : Metal based compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00754 : Metal oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/0066 : without a metal-carbon linkage
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 15/045 : without a metal-carbon linkage
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 10/00 : Homopolymers and copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/70 : Iron group metals, platinum group metals or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 30/08 : by measuring catalytic activity
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/14 : Libraries containing macromolecular compounds and not covered by groups C40B40/06 - C40B40/12
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/18 : Libraries containing only inorganic compounds or inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 50/14 : Solid phase synthesis, i.e. wherein one or more library building blocks are bound to a solid support during library creation; Particular methods of cleavage from the solid support
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 4/00 : Measuring polarisation of light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6402 : Atomic fluorescence; Laser induced fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 : Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 : one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/036 : by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2418 : using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/348 : with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4427 : with stored values, e.g. threshold values

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for screening diverse arrays of materials are provided. In particular, techniques for rapidly characterizing compounds in arrays of materials in order to discover and/or optimize new materials with specific desired properties are provided. The substrate can be screened for materials having useful properties, and/or the resulting materials can be ranked, or otherwise compared, for relative performance with respect to useful properties or other characterizations. In particular, systems and methods are provided for screening a library of magnetic materials for their bulk magnetization, saturation magnetization, and coercivity by imaging their individual optical Kerr rotation, screening a library of dielectric materials for their dielectric coefficients by imaging their individual electro-optical rotation and screening a library of luminescent materials by imaging their individual luminescent properties under a variety of excitation conditions. Optical or visible luminescence systems are also provided as well as their application to screening libraries of different materials.

Claims

1. A method of characterizing members in an array of materials, comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate;

depositing an array of different inorganic materials onto predefined regions of said substrate, said inorganic materials differing across said substrate in a characteristic selected from composition, stoichiometry or thickness;

illuminating said array of inorganic materials while on said substrate;

monitoring luminescence output of said array of inorganic materials, with respect to spatial location within the array, with an optical imaging system;

comparing members of said array with respect to said luminescence; and

identifying materials for large scale preparation based upon said comparing step.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 9 different materials.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 50 different materials.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 10³ different materials.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 10⁴ different materials.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 10⁵ different materials.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said array has at least 10⁶ different materials.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 3 components therein.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 4 components therein.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 5 components therein.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 6 components therein.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 7 components therein.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said materials in said array have at least 8 components therein.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing members of said array with a reference standard material.

15. A method of characterizing members in an array of materials, comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate;

depositing an array of different materials on said substrate;

applying a voltage for illuminating said array of materials while on said substrate;

monitoring intensity of luminescence of said array of materials with respect to spatial location within the array with an optical imaging system;

comparing members of said array with respect to said luminescence; and

identifying materials for large scale preparation based upon said comparing step.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said monitoring step is performed simultaneously for members of the array.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said monitoring step is performed in rapid serial format for members of the array.

18. A method of characterizing members in an array of materials, comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate;

depositing an array of different materials on said substrate, said materials differing across said substrate in a characteristic selected from composition, stoichiometry or thickness;

applying a voltage for illuminating said array of materials while on said substrate;

monitoring intensity of luminescence of said array of materials with respect to spatial location within the array with an optical imaging system;

comparing members of said array with respect to said luminescence;

comparing members of said array with a reference standard material; and

identifying materials for large scale preparation based upon said comparing steps.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said monitoring step is performed simultaneously for members of the array.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said monitoring step is performed in rapid serial format for members of the array.