Optically active substrates

• US 7,158,224 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Montagu, Jean I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu T.
• Application Number:
  US10/311,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 356/344, 356/39, 356432-448, 356300-311, 356244-235, 25033907-33911, 600322-324
• US Class Current: 356/244
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6419 Excitation at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6478 Special lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/0303 Optical path conditioning in cuvettes, e.g. windows; adapted optical elements or systems; path modifying or adjustment G01N21/031 - G01N21/15 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/645 Specially adapted constructive features of fluorimeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/002 Scanning microscopes scanning near field optical microscopes G01Q60/18
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/005 arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets G02B3/0043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0068 arranged in a single integral body or plate, e.g. laminates or hybrid structures with other optical elements G02B5/1885, G02B17/002, G02B30/27 take precedence

Abstract

A device for optical examination of biological materials using radiation of a selected wavelength includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first surface includes a dense array of micro-optical elements arranged to provide increased intensity radiation or evanescent radiation. The first surface is in close proximity to the biological material being examined.

Claims

1. A device for optical examination of biological material using radiation of a selected wavelength, comprising an optically transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface comprising a dense array of micro-optical elements including a high index medium transparent at the wavelength and each having a dimension less than 100 μ

m, said dense array of micro-optical elements being arranged to provide increased intensity radiation near the micro-optical elements, the first surface being in close proximity to the examined biological material.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the second surface is oriented for receiving the radiation emitted from a light source of an optical system.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the second surface is oriented for providing radiation to a detector of an optical system after interaction of the increased intensity radiation with the biological material.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein each said micro-optical element has a dimension comparable to the wavelength of the radiation.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements are micro-lenses.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities formed inside the substrate.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities having parallel or semi parallel groves in the form of half cylinders or quarter cylinders.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the micro-cavities are formed inside the substrate by spherical indentations one radius in depth.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise a grating.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements are teeth-like structures.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the optically transparent substrate has a thickness between the first and second surface of about 1 mm.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the high index medium is deposited by one of the following:

sputtering, evaporation, MOCVD.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements include high density micro-lenses having a high index of refraction.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the high density micro-lenses include the high index of refraction made by deposition onto the first surface.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements are micro-lenses formed by micro-cavities inside the substrate, the micro-cavities having a radius in the range of 0.1 μ

m to 10 μ

m.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements are micro-lenses formed by micro-cavities inside the substrate, the micro-cavities having a radius less than 100 μ

m.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the micro-optical elements are micro-lenses formed by micro-cavities inside the substrate and wherein a diameter and depth of the micro-cavities define the thickness of said high index medium deposited on the first surface.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the high index medium is deposited by one of the following:

sputtering, evaporation or MOCVD.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the high index medium is made of titanium dioxide with an index of refraction of about 2.4.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein the high index medium is made of gallium phosphate with an index of refraction of about 3.4 or other medium with suitable index and transmission coefficient at the wavelength.

21. The device of claim 17 wherein the high index medium has a thickness of about 10 angstrom to 1000 angstrom depending on the material so that a relatively low coefficient of transmission of the material causes acceptable optical losses.

22. The device of claim 1 wherein the optically transparent substrate is made of one of the following:

polycarbonate disc, Mylar based disc, PMMA disc, Plexiglas disc or similar plastic disc with an index of refraction about 1.57.

23. The device of claim 1 wherein the substrate is made of a material transparent to fluorescent light emitted from fluorophores associated with said examined biological material, said wavelength being selected to excite said fluorophores.

24. The device of claim 1 wherein said examined biological material is associated with a probe array supported by said high index medium.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein said examined biological material is associated with a fluorescent label capable of emitting fluorescent radiation after being irradiated by light of said selected wavelength.

26. The device of claim 24 wherein said probe array supported is deposited onto in contact with said high index medium.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein the second surface is oriented for receiving the radiation emitted from a light source of an optical system.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise micro-lenses.

29. The device of claim 28 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities formed inside the substrate.

30. The device of claim 28 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities having parallel or semi parallel groves in the form of half cylinders or quarter cylinders.

31. The device of claim 24 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise a grating.

32. The device of claim 24 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise teeth-like structures.

33. The device of claim 24 wherein said probe array is created by a radiation directed synthesis.

34. The device of claim 24 wherein said probe array is created by a microfluidic delivery.

35. The device of claim 24 wherein said probe array includes fluorescently labeled biological polymers.

36. The device of claim 1 wherein said biological material is deposited in contact with said high index medium.

37. The device of claim 36 wherein the second surface is oriented for receiving the radiation emitted from a light source of an optical system.

38. The device of claim 37 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise micro-lenses.

39. The device of claim 38 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities formed inside the substrate.

40. The device of claim 38 wherein the micro-lenses are formed by micro-cavities having parallel or semi parallel groves in the form of half cylinders or quarter cylinders.

41. The device of claim 37 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise a grating.

42. The device of claim 37 wherein the micro-optical elements comprise teeth-like structures.

43. The device of claim 37 wherein said biological material includes fluorescently labeled biological polymers.

44. A device for optical examination of a probe array using radiation of an irradiation wavelength, said device comprising an optically transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface comprising a dense array of micro-optical elements being arranged to generate increased intensity radiation near the micro-optical elements, the first surface being arranged to provide support for the probe array, wherein each said micro-optical element has a dimension less than 100 μ

m and said micro-optical elements enable a surface wave.

45. The device of claim 44 wherein the second surface is oriented for receiving the radiation emitted from a light source of an optical system.

46. The device of claim 45 wherein the second surface is oriented for providing radiation to a detector of an optical system after interaction of the increased intensity radiation with elements of the probe array.