Sample chamber

• US 9,927,421 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ibidi GmbH
• Original Assignee: ibidi GmbH
• Inventors: Zantl, Roman, Kahl, Valentin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Nathan A
• Application Number:
  US12/565,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,107 Days
• Field of Search: 204400, 20440301, 204412, 204450, 204451, 422 8201, 435 613, 435 793, 4352852, 4352871-2872, 4352885-2887, 4352883, 4352884, 24040301-40304
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4836 using multielectrode arrays

Abstract

The invention relates to a sample chamber for testing samples, comprising a bottom plate and a cover plate connected thereto, a sample reservoir for receiving a liquid and/or a sample to be tested, and a contact electrode which is arranged entirely in the bottom plate, in the cover plate or between the bottom plate and the cover plate and which is electrically conductively connected to a conductor element or semiconductor element disposed in and/or on the sample chamber, wherein the bottom plate and/or the cover plate are designed in such a way that an electrical contact with the contact electrode can be established from the outside in such a way that an electrically conductive connection to the conductor element or to the semiconductor element can be established from the outside through the bottom plate or through the cover plate via the contact electrode.

Claims

1. A system for testing samples, the system comprising:

a sample chamber comprising;

a bottom plate and a cover plate connected thereto,

a sample reservoir for receiving a liquid and/or a sample to be tested, and

a contact electrode which is arranged entirely in the bottom plate, in the cover plate or between the bottom plate and the cover plate and which is electrically conductively connected to a conductor element or semiconductor element disposed in and/or on the sample chamber,

wherein the bottom plate and/or the cover plate are designed in such a way that an electrical contact with the contact electrode can be established from an outside in such a way that an electrically conductive connection to the conductor element or to the semiconductor element can be established from the outside through the bottom plate or through the cover plate via the contact electrode,

a hole in which the contact electrode is arranged, wherein the hole is a blind hole and the contact electrode is arranged to underlie a bottom opening of the blind hole and/or on a side wall of the blind hole, and

a measuring electrode and/or an excitation electrode each of which are electrically conductively connected to a contact electrode by a conductor element or a semiconductor element,

wherein the conductor element and/or the semiconductor element are disposed between the bottom plate and the cover plate or entirely on an outer side of the sample chamber or partially between the bottom plate and the cover plate and partially on the outer side of the sample chamber; and

a sample chamber holder comprising;

a first frame element and a second frame element,

an electrical contact element disposed on the first frame element or the second frame element, and

a connecting device adapted to connect the first frame element to the second frame element so as to construct an assembled sample chamber holder having predetermined relative positions of the frame elements with respect to each other, wherein the connecting device comprises at least one magnetic and/or magnetizable element,

wherein the first frame element and the second frame element are adapted to fix the entire sample chamber in the assembled sample chamber holder between the first frame element and the second frame element, and

wherein, in the assembled sample chamber holder, the electrical contact element of the sample chamber holder is adapted to be electrically conductively connected to the contact electrode of the fixed sample chamber.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first frame element and/or the second frame element include recesses for receiving the sample chamber.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical contact element of the sample chamber holder comprises a spring contact.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first frame element and/or the second frame element are adapted to allow a microscopical examination of a sample in the sample chamber fixed in the sample chamber holder.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first frame element and/or the second frame element include a through-hole or a transparent area in the area of the sample chamber fixed in the sample chamber holder.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the through-hole or transparent area is made of glass or plastic.