Arrayed micro-ring spectrometer system and method of use

• US 8,174,695 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Choi, Sang H., Park, Yeonjoon, King, Glen C., Elliott, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geisel, Kara E
• Application Number:
  US12/508,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20100039644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 356/326, 356/328, 359/565
• US Class Current: 356/328
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0256 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/18 using diffraction elements, e.g. grating gratings per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6421 Measuring at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6478 Special lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6454 using an integrated detector array
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/188 Plurality of such optical elements formed in or on a supporting substrate

Abstract

A spectrometer system includes an array of micro-zone plates (MZP) each having coaxially-aligned ring gratings, a sample plate for supporting and illuminating a sample, and an array of photon detectors for measuring a spectral characteristic of the predetermined wavelength. The sample plate emits an evanescent wave in response to incident light, which excites molecules of the sample to thereby cause an emission of secondary photons. A method of detecting the intensity of a selected wavelength of incident light includes directing the incident light onto an array of MZP, diffracting a selected wavelength of the incident light onto a target focal point using the array of MZP, and detecting the intensity of the selected portion using an array of photon detectors. An electro-optic layer positioned adjacent to the array of MZP may be excited via an applied voltage to select the wavelength of the incident light.

Claims

1. An arrayed spectrometer system comprising:

an array of microzone plates (MZP) each having a plurality of coaxially-aligned ring gratings configured for diffracting a predetermined wavelength of incident light from a sample onto a target focal point;

an electro-optic layer positioned adjacently to the array of MZP;

a sample plate configured for supporting the sample, and for passing a portion of source light to the sample to generate the incident light; and

an array of photon detectors, wherein each photon detector in the array of photon detectors is operable for detecting a spectral characteristic of the predetermined wavelength.

2. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined wavelength is selected by applying a voltage to the electro-optic layer.

3. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 1, further comprising a beam separator positioned adjacently to the array of MZP.

4. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 1, wherein the sample plate is configured to emit an evanescent wave in response to the source light, wherein the evanescent wave excites molecules of the sample to thereby cause an emission of secondary photons as at least a portion of the incident light.

5. An arrayed spectrometer system comprising:

an array of micro-zone plates (MZP) each having a plurality of coaxially-aligned ring gratings configured for diffracting a predetermined wavelength of incident light from a sample onto a target focal point;

a sample plate configured for supporting and illuminating the sample, wherein the sample plate defines a plurality of apertures adapted for passing a portion of source light to the sample as the incident light; and

an array of photon detectors each operable for measuring an intensity of the predetermined wavelength.

6. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of apertures are equally-spaced.

7. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 5, wherein the array of photon detectors includes at least one of:

a PiN diode, a charged-coupled device (CCD), an N-MOS device, and a P-MOS device.

8. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 5, wherein every one of the MZP in the array of MZP is identically configured as one of a positive MZP and a negative MZP.

9. The arrayed spectrometer system of claim 5, wherein the sample plate is configured to emit an evanescent wave in response to the source light, and wherein the evanescent wave excites molecules of the sample to thereby cause an emission of secondary photons as at least a portion of the incident light.

10. A method of detecting the intensity of a selected wavelength of incident light, the method comprising:

directing source light onto one side of a sample plate and through a plurality of apertures defined thereby to illuminate a sample positioned on the other side of the sample plate, wherein illumination of the sample generates the incident light;

directing the incident light onto an array of micro-zone plates (MZP), wherein each MZP in the array of MZP has a plurality of coaxially-aligned ring gratings configured for diffracting the selected wavelength of the incident light onto a target focal point;

diffracting the selected wavelength onto the target focal point using the array of MZP; and

detecting the intensity of the selected wavelength using an array of photon detectors.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

using a data recorder to record the detected intensity.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein diffracting the selected wavelength includes applying a voltage to an electro-optic layer positioned adjacently to the array of MZP.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein directing the incident light onto an array of MZP includes stimulating an emission of an evanescent wave between the sample plate and the array of MZP.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the intensity of the selected wavelength using an array of photon detectors includes detecting the intensity using an array of PiN diodes.