Obtaining information about analytes using optical cavity output light
First Claim
1. A method of using optical cavities;
- the method comprising;
operating an optical cavity to provide output light and operating an array of photosensing elements to provide sensing results in response to the output light;
a set of two or more analytes moving within the optical cavity relative to the array;
the output light having a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement;
the sensing results depending on the position/time varying intensity function; and
using the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
While two or more analytes within an optical cavity move relative to an array of photosensing elements, the cavity provides output light that has a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement. The output light is photosensed to obtain sensing results that depend on the position/time varying intensity function. The sensing results are used to obtain information about at least one of the analytes. The relative movement can, for example, be caused by moving analytes within channels within the cavity, such as by causing flow of a medium that carries the analytes through the channels. Or the analytes can be in wells of a biochip, with the cavity defined by reflective slides on opposite surfaces of the biochip, and the slides and biochip can be caused to move together relative to the array.
-
Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A method of using optical cavities;
- the method comprising;
operating an optical cavity to provide output light and operating an array of photosensing elements to provide sensing results in response to the output light;
a set of two or more analytes moving within the optical cavity relative to the array;
the output light having a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement;
the sensing results depending on the position/time varying intensity function; andusing the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- the method comprising;
-
5. A system comprising:
-
an optical cavity component that includes an optical cavity in which two or more analytes are present;
the optical cavity being operable to provide output light;an array of photosensing elements; an analyte/array relative movement component that causes relative movement between the analytes in the optical cavity and the array of photosensing elements;
the output light of the optical cavity having a position/time varying intensity function that depends on optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement;a photosensing component that photosenses the output light to obtain sensing results that depend on the varying intensity function; and an information obtaining component that uses the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method of obtaining information about analytes using optical cavities operable to provide output light in one or more modes, output light in each mode having an intensity function within a respective photon energy subrange;
- the method comprising;
operating an optical cavity to provide output light and operating an array of photosensing elements to provide sensing results in response to the output light;
a set of two or more analytes moving within the optical cavity relative to the array;
each analyte following a respective path relative to the array during the relative movement and having an optical characteristic that affects the output light of the cavity along its path;
in response, the output light having a position/time varying intensity function that depends both on the optical characteristics of the analytes and on the relative movement;
the act of operating the optical cavity and operating the array comprising;at each of two or more positions along the paths, photosensing in the respective photon energy subranges of respective ones of the modes to obtain sensing results that depend on the position/time varying intensity function; and using the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- the method comprising;
-
19. A system comprising:
-
an optical cavity component that includes a light-transmissive region at least partially bounded by light-reflective components, the light-transmissive region and the light-reflective components having characteristics such that, during optical cavity operation, a measurable portion of light within the light-transmissive region is reflected more than once across the light-transmissive region with constructive interference and destructive interference occurring in the light-transmissive region and with the optical cavity component providing output light from the light-transmissive region in one or more modes;
the output light provided in each mode having respective intensity within a respective photon energy subrange;
the light-transmissive region being operable as at least one of;a laser cavity; an emitting optical cavity; a transmissive cavity; and a Fabry-Perot cavity; a photosensing component that includes an array of photosensing elements; an analyte/array relative movement component that causes relative movement between one or more analytes in the light-transmissive region and the array of photosensing elements;
a first mode'"'"'s intensity changing as a function both of position and of time, change in the first mode'"'"'s intensity depending both on optical characteristics of the one or more analytes in the light-transmissive region and on the relative movement;
the array of photosensing elements photosensing the output light in the first mode'"'"'s photon energy subrange and, in response, the photosensing component providing sensing results that depend on the first mode'"'"'s intensity; andan information obtaining component that obtains information about the relative movement and uses the information about the relative movement to obtain information from the sensing results, the information obtained from the sensing results including information about at least one of the one or more analytes. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A method of using an optical cavity component that includes first and second channels within a light-transmissive region;
- the light-transmissive region being at least partially bounded by light-reflective components;
the optical cavity component being operable to provide output light in a set of modes that includes first and second modes;
the method comprising;operating the optical cavity component to provide respective output light from each of the first and second channels and operating an array of photosensing elements to provide respective sensing results in response to each channel'"'"'s output light;
first and second sets of analytes moving relative to the array within the first and second channels, respectively, while the optical cavity component provides the respective output light;
in each channel, each analyte having an optical characteristic that affects the channel'"'"'s output light;
each channel'"'"'s output light having respective intensity that changes as a function both of position and of time, change in the channel'"'"'s output light intensity depending on both optical characteristics and relative movement of the respective set of analytes; andusing the sensing results to obtain information about at least one of the analytes; the act of operating the optical cavity component and operating the array comprising; along each of the first and second channels, operating a respective set of photosensing elements in the array to photosense output light in a respective photon energy subrange, the respective photon energy subranges of the first and second channels including the first and second modes, respectively;
each channel'"'"'s set of photosensing elements providing sensing results that depend on the channel'"'"'s output light intensity. - View Dependent Claims (34)
- the light-transmissive region being at least partially bounded by light-reflective components;
Specification