Thermally conductive sensor

• US 6,780,296 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1999
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Corporation (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Svetnik, Vladimir B., Brown, Michael Lee, Bhullar, Raghbir Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Olsen, Kaj K.
• Application Number:
  US09/471,570
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 204/400, 204/403, 204/408, 204/403.04, 204/403.01, 204/403.14, 206/569
• US Class Current: 204/403.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52

Abstract

A sensor strip comprises an electrode substrate, an electrode set, on the electrode substrate, and a heat conducting layer, on the electrode substrate opposite the electrode set. A sensor instrument for use with this sensor strip comprises a temperature sensor, at a side of a gap for accepting the sensor strip, opposite electrical contacts. The invention provides an accurate determination of the temperature of a sample.

Claims

1. A sensor strip, comprising:

(a) an electrically-insulating electrode substrate,

(b) an electrode set, on said electrode substrate, and

(c) a heat conducting layer on said electrode substrate opposite said electrode set, said heat conducting layer comprising at least 20% by volume of said sensor strip and having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W/m-K.

2. The sensor strip of claim 1, wherein said heat conducting layer comprises a metal or an alloy.

3. The sensor strip of claim 2, wherein said metal or alloy comprises at least 45% by volume of said sensor strip.

4. The sensor strip of claim 2, further comprising:

(d) a base, between said electrode substrate and said heat conducting layer.

5. The sensor strip of claim 2, wherein said heat conducting layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 100 W/m-K.

6. The sensor strip of claim 5, wherein said heat conducting layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 200 W/m-K.

7. Packaged sensor strips, comprising:

a plurality of the sensor strips of claim 2,

a vial, containing said plurality of said sensor strips, and

a stopper, sealing said vial.

8. The sensor strip of claim 1, wherein said heat conducting layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 200 W/m-K, and

said heat conducting layer comprises copper, alloys of copper, aluminum, or alloys of aluminum.

9. Packaged sensor strips, comprising:

a plurality of the sensor strips of claim 8,

a vial, containing said plurality of said sensor strips, and

a stopper, sealing said vial.

10. The sensor strip of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) a dielectric, on said electrode set, and

(f) reagent on said electrode set.

11. The sensor strip of claim 1, further comprising:

a base, between said electrode substrate and said heat conducting layer.

12. Packaged sensor strips, comprising:

a plurality of the sensor strips of claim 1,

a vial, containing said plurality of said sensor strips, and

a stopper, sealing said vial.

13. A sensor strip for measuring the concentration of an analyte in a biological sample, comprising:

an electrically-insulating electrode substrate,

an electrode set, on said electrode substrate,

a reagent on said electrode set, said reagent comprising at least one agent catalytically reactive with said analyte for electrochemically measuring said concentration, and

a heat conducting layer on said electrode substrate opposite said electrode set, said heat conducting layer comprising at least 20% by volume of said sensor strip,

wherein said sensor strip has a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W/m-K.

14. The sensor strip of claim 13, wherein said sensor strip has a thermal conductivity of at least 85 W/m-K.

15. The sensor strip of claim 13, further comprising:

a dielectric, on said electrode set.

16. Packaged sensor strips, comprising:

a plurality of the sensor strips of claim 13,

a vial, containing said plurality of said sensor strips, and

a stopper, sealing said vial.

17. A sensor strip for measuring the concentration of an analyte in a biological sample, comprising:

an electrode substrate, said electrode substrate being electrically insulating on at least a surface portion thereof,

an electrode set, on said electrode substrate, wherein said electrode substrate has a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W/m-K,

a reagent on said electrode set, said reagent comprising at least one agent reactive with said analyte for electrochemically measuring said concentration, and

a heat conducting layer on said electrode substrate opposite said electrode set, said heat conducting layer comprising at least 20% by volume of said sensor strip.

18. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein said electrode substrate has a thermal conductivity of at least 200 W/m-K.

19. The sensor strip of claim 17, further comprising:

a dielectric, on said electrode set.

20. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein said electrode substrate comprises a thermally conductive ceramic.

21. The sensor strip of claim 20, wherein said thermally conductive ceramic comprises diamond, aluminum nitride or aluminum oxide.

22. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein said electrode substrate comprises a thermally conductive composite.

23. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein the analyte is glucose, and the reagent comprises glucose dehydrogenase.

24. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein the analyte is glucose, and the reagent comprises glucose dehydrogenase and ferricyanide.

25. The sensor strip of claim 17, wherein the analyte is glucose, and the reagent comprises glucose dehydrogenase and diaphorase.

26. A sensor strip for measuring the concentration of an analyte in a biological sample, comprising:

an electrode substrate, said electrode substrate being electrically insulating on at least a surface portion thereof, said electrode substrate comprising a thermally conductive composite wherein said thermally conductive composite comprises a polymer and metal fibers or particles,

an electrode set, on said electrode substrate, wherein said electrode substrate has a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/m-K, and

a reagent on said electrode set, said reagent comprising at least one agent reactive with said analyte for electrochemically measuring said concentration.