US 12,704,500 B2 · Parallelized probing of a plurality of samples in a self-organized structure

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, a sensor chip for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, a sensing device for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, and a measurement system for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples. The method comprises providing a sensor chip, the sensor chip comprising a sensing layer arranged in or on a substrate and a measurement volume adjacent to the sensing layer. The sensing layer comprises a plurality of sensing elements, each of which is configured to generate a sensor signal characterizing a physical observable in the vicinity of the respective sensing element. A carrier fluid comprising a plurality of sample objects is provided to the measurement volume, wherein each of the sample objects comprises or forms a respective sample. A number of sample objects in the measurement volume is controlled such that the sample objects form a self-organized structure in the measurement volume. The self-organized structure is a structure in which the arrangement of the sample objects is at least in part defined by interactions between the sample objects themselves. A measurement is performed on one or more of the samples while the sample objects are arranged in the self-organized structure, wherein a measurement on a sample is performed using one or more sensing elements arranged adjacent to the respective sample object in the self-organized structure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, the method comprising:

providing a sensor chip, the sensor chip comprising a sensing layer arranged in or on a substrate and a measurement volume adjacent to the sensing layer, wherein the sensing layer comprises a plurality of sensing elements, each of which is configured to generate a sensor signal characterizing a physical observable in the vicinity of the respective sensing element;
providing a carrier fluid comprising a plurality of sample objects to the measurement volume, wherein each of the sample objects comprises or forms a respective sample;
controlling a number of sample objects in the measurement volume such that the sample objects form a self—organized structure in the measurement volume, wherein the self—organized structure is a structure in which the arrangement of the sample objects is at least in part defined by interactions between the sample objects themselves;
and
performing a measurement on one or more of the samples while the sample objects are arranged in the self—organized structure, wherein a measurement on a sample is performed using one or more sensing elements arranged adjacent to the respective sample object in the self—organized structure.

2 more elements

A sensor chip for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, the sensor chip comprising:

a measurement volume configured to receive a carrier fluid comprising a plurality of sample objects, each of the sample objects comprising or forming a respective sample;
an array of sensors arranged in or adjacent to a first wall of the measurement volume, wherein the sensor array has a first spacing a1 and each of the sensors comprises one or more sensing elements, each of which is configured to generate a sensor signal characterizing a physical observable in the vicinity of the respective sensing element;
and
two or more boundary or guiding structures configured to confine or guide a motion of the sample objects in the measurement volume,
wherein the two or more boundary or guiding structures are arranged such that when a close—packing of solid objects having a circular cross section with a diameter d equal to the first spacing a1 is placed in the measurement volume with the close—packing of the solid objects covering the entire first wall of the measurement volume, the two or more boundary or guiding structures confine the solid objects such that a respective solid object is centrally aligned with each of the sensors.

2 more elements

A sensing device for parallelized probing of a plurality of samples, the sensing device comprising:

a sensor chip comprising a substrate and a measurement volume configured to receive a carrier fluid comprising a plurality of sample objects, each of the sample objects comprising or forming a respective sample, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of optically addressable sensing elements arranged in a sensing layer in or below a first wall of the measurement volume, each of the sensing elements being configured to generate a sensor signal characterizing a physical observable in the vicinity of the respective sensing element;
and
an illumination system for illuminating the sensing elements,
wherein:
the sensor chip further comprises two or more boundary or guiding structures configured to confine or guide a motion of the sample objects in the measurement volume, the two or more boundary or guiding structures being arranged such that when solid objects having a circular cross section with a diameter d are placed in the measurement volume with the solid objects covering the entire first wall of the measurement volume, the solid objects arrange in a self—organized structure in which a plurality of subsets of the solid objects are each arranged along a respective one of a plurality of straight lines;
and
the illumination system is configured to provide a plurality of illumination light beams, each of which propagates through the substrate along an optical path aligned with a respective one of the plurality of straight lines for illuminating sensing elements adjacent to the solid objects of the respective subset in the self—organized structure.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Parallelized probing of a plurality of samples in a self-organized structure

Life of this patent

Parallelized probing of a plurality of samples in a self-organized structure

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20