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Providing light to channels or portions

  • US 7,386,199 B2
  • Filed: 12/22/2005
  • Issued: 06/10/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of sensing photons emanating from a channel portion defined in a fluidic structure, the channel portion extending a length in a longitudinal direction and having, at each position along its length, a respective cross section;

  • in each position'"'"'s cross section, the channel portion having a boundary along most of which it is surrounded by material with higher refractive index than a fluid in the channel portion would have;

    the fluidic structure including an end component at an end of the channel portion, the end component including a light-transmissive portion;

    the fluidic structure further including a light-transmissive component that extends in the longitudinal direction along at least part of the channel portion'"'"'s boundary and beyond the end component to a projection of the channel portion;

    the method comprising;

    with fluid in the channel portion, propagating light in the longitudinal direction through the channel portion so that, in cross sections along a part of the length, more than approximately 10% of light intensity from the propagated light occurs in the fluid;

    the act of propagating light including;

    providing light from a source outside the channel portion through the light-transmissive component beyond the end component, through the projection of the channel portion, and through the light-transmissive portion of the end component;

    the light from the source entering the channel portion in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction; and

    photosensing photons emanating from the channel portion in response to the propagated light.

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