Holographically encoded elements for microarray and other tagging labeling applications, and method and apparatus for making and reading the same

• US 20060118630A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illumina Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Illumina Incorporated
• Inventors: Kersey, Alan D., Putnam, Martin A., Moon, John A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,604,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/457
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10663 using hologram

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for writing a code on an optical element, wherein the code is written on the optical element in the form of a holographic image of an n-dimensional code generated by an interference pattern between a reference beam and a signal beam reflected off a spatial light modulation device having the n-dimensional code configured thereon. The method includes steps of generating the interference pattern between the reference beam and the signal beam reflected off the spatial light modulation device having the n-dimensional code thereon; as well as writing the interference pattern on the optical element as a holographic image of the n-dimensional code.

Claims

1. A method for writing a code on an optical element, comprising:

generating an interference pattern between a reference beam and a signal beam reflected off a spatial light modulation device having an n-dimensional code configured thereon; and

writing the interference pattern on or in the optical element as a holographic image of the n-dimensional code.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein n is a number greater than or equal to 1.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulation device includes a digital light processor (DLP) or other suitable digitally modulated device (DMD) having a 1 or 2-dimensional array of micromirrors.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the digital light processor (DLP) or other suitable digitally modulated device (DMD) is programmable.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulation device is a digital mask with N×

M attenuation elements that allows for multiple combinations/permutations of digital codes.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the signal beam may be reflected in the direction of the optical element when a particular micromirror is turned on, while another portion of the signal beam may be reflected in a direction away from the optical element when a particular micromirror is turned off, or vice versa.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the binomial state of the 2-dimensional array of micromirrors corresponds to the 2-dimensional binomial code written on or in the holographically encoded optical element.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator has pixels that may have one reflective state and the other state may be absorptive or transmissive, or that may have one state being transmissive and the other state being absorptive, or that may have two transmissive or partially transmissive states that refract the incoming light out at two different angles, or some combination thereof.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator has pixels that shaped as a square, diamond, rectangular, or any other two or three-dimensional shapes, including circle, oval, sphere, cube, triangle, parallelogram, rhombus, trapezoid.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the holographically encoded optical element includes a bead, a microbead, a chip, a block, a platelet or other suitable geometry.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the holographically encoded optical element has a maximum dimension of less than 1000 microns.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the material of the optical element is any photosensitive material, including glass (e.g. silica based glass) and polymer materials having appropriate photosensitivity, that creates a refractive index variation in the substrate.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method include a step of providing the reference beam on the optical element in order to read the holographic image off the holographically encoded optical element.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the interference pattern is written in or on the holographically encoded optical element in the form of a diffraction grating.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes bouncing light off the spatial light modulator more than one time in order to form the holographic image.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes using multiple spatial light modulators.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes using different portions of the spatial light modulator sequentially or simultaneously in order to form the holographic image.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reference beam is pixelated using a second spatial light modulator or an unused portion of the first spatial light modulator, so that when the n-dimensional code is read the same pixelated reference beam is used, for providing another level of encryption or encoding if desired or beam shaping.

34. An optical element having an n-dimensional code formed by the steps according to the method recited in claim 1.

35. An optical element according to claim 1, wherein n is a number greater than or equal to 1.

36. An optical element according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulation device includes a digital light processor (DLP) or other suitable digitally modulated device (DMD) having a 1 or 2-dimensional array of micromirrors.

37. An optical element according to claim 34, wherein the spatial light modulation device is a digital mask with N×

M attenuation elements that allows for multiple combinations/permutations of digital codes.

38. An optical element according to claim 34, wherein the holographically encoded optical element has a maximum outer dimension less than 1,000 microns.

39. An optical element according to claim 34, wherein the material of the optical element is any photosensitive material, including glass (e.g. silica based glass) and polymer materials having appropriate photosensitivity, that creates a refractive index variation in the substrate.

40. An optical element according to claim 34, wherein the method includes using multiple spatial light modulators.

20. An optical arrangement for writing a code on or in an optical element, comprises:

a light source for providing a reference beam; and

a spatial light modulation device having an n-dimensional code configured thereon that responds to a signal beam, for providing a spatial light modulation signal containing the n-dimensional code,

the spatial light modulator and the light source being arranged in relation to the optical element so that an interference pattern generated between the spatial light modulation signal and the reference beam is written on or in the optical element as the holographic image of the n-dimensional code.

17. A method according to claim 32, wherein the spatial light modulator has multiple patterns or codes arranged in any orientation, including horizontal, vertical, diagonal, etc.

21. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein n is a number greater than or equal to 1.

22. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the spatial light modulation device includes a digital light processor (DLP) or other suitable digitally modulated device (DMD) having a 1 or 2-dimensional array of micromirrors.

23. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the spatial light modulation device is a digital mask with N×

M attenuation elements that allows for multiple combinations/permutations of digital codes.

24. An optical arrangement according to claim 22, wherein the binomial state of the 2-dimensional array of micromirrors corresponds to the 2-dimensional binomial code written on or in the holographically encoded optical element.

25. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the spatial light modulator has pixels that may have one reflective state and the other state may be absorptive or transmissive, or that may have one state being transmissive and the other state being absorptive, or that may have two transmissive or partially transmissive states that refract the incoming light out at two different angles, or some combination thereof.

26. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the holographically encoded optical element includes a bead, a microbead, a chip, a block, a platelet or other suitable geometry.

27. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the holographically encoded optical element is microscopic in size having a maximum dimension of less than 1,000 microns.

28. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the material of the optical element is any photosensitive material, including glass (e.g. silica based glass) and polymer materials having appropriate photosensitivity, that creates a refractive index variation in the substrate.

29. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the method include a step of providing the reference beam on the optical element in order to read the holographic image off the holographically encoded optical element.

30. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the interference pattern is written in or on the holographically encoded optical element in the form of a diffraction grating or other suitable encoding technique.

31. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the method includes bouncing light off the spatial light modulator more than one time in order to form the holographic image.

32. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the method includes using multiple spatial light modulators.

33. An optical arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the reference beam is pixelated using a second spatial light modulator or an unused portion of the first spatial light modulator, so that when the n-dimensional code is read the same pixelated reference beam is used, for providing another level of encryption or encoding if desired or beam shaping.