Opto chip-based viscometer

Abstract

An opto chip for detecting a physical parameter of a liquid sample, comprising an optical structure monolithically integrated with a substrate layer and a functional layer, wherein the substrate layer is light-transmissive and configured to have an upper surface for receiving a droplet of the liquid sample and a lower surface bonded to the functional layer; and the functional layer comprises a light-emitting region and a light-detecting region with the light-emitting region being configured to emit measurement light. The light-detecting region is configured to receive reflected light derived from the measurement light and a signal reflecting the change in intensity thereof is converted into a photocurrent signal. A viscometer and detection method operated using the same opto chip technique. The need for complex external optical calibration is thus eliminated, making the viscometer easier to operate and reducing the overall size of the device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.