Method and apparatus for detecting and quantifying a chemical substance employing an optical transmission property of metallic islands on a transparent substrate

A method according to claim 22, and wherein producing said plurality of metallic islands producing said plurality of metallic islands from at least one of the following:

• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, chromium, steel, at least one ultra-thin layer of a metal, a binary alloy of the following elements:
• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, and chromium;
• or a ternary alloy of the following elements:
• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, and chromium.

A method for analysis comprising:

• producing a plurality of metallic islands on an intermediate layer on a transparent substrate;
• transmitting electromagnetic radiation through said plurality of metallic islands on said intermediate layer on said transparent substrate;
• measuring a resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands;
• adsorbing a chemical substance onto said plurality of metallic islands so as to produce a chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said intermediate layer on said transparent substrate;
• transmitting electromagnetic radiation through said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• measuring a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• employing said resultant optical property said metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said chemical substance and a functionality of said chemical substance.

A method according to claim 59, and wherein producing said plurality of metallic islands producing said plurality of metallic islands from at least one of the following:

• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, chromium, steel, at least one ultra-thin layer of a metal, a binary alloy of the following elements:
• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, and chromium;
• or a ternary alloy of the following elements:
• gold, silver, copper, titanium, vanadium, and chromium.

A method for analysis comprising:

• transmitting electromagnetic radiation through a first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on a transparent substrate;
• measuring a resultant optical property of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• communicating said second chemical substance with said first chemical substance so as to form a second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• transmitting electromagnetic radiation through said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate;
• measuring a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• employing said resultant optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said second chemical substance, a functionality of said second chemical substance, said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said first chemical substance and a functionality of said first chemical substance.

Apparatus for analysis comprising:

• an adsorption enabling element operative to enable adsorption of a chemical substance onto a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate so as to produce a chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a transmitter operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said plurality of metallic islands;
• and which is further operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a detector adapted to detect a resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• a processor operative to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said chemical substance and a functionality of said chemical substance.

Apparatus for analysis comprising:

• an adsorption enabling element configured to enable adsorption of a chemical substance onto a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate so as to produce a first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and further to enable adsorption of a second chemical substance so as to form a second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a transmitter operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and further operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a detector operative to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a processor adapted to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said second chemical substance, a functionality of said second chemical substance, said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said first chemical substance and a functionality of said first chemical substance.

A kit for analysis comprising:

• a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate;
• a transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said plurality of metallic islands on said transparent substrate, and further configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through a chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate;
• a detector adapted to detect a resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• a processor configured to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in chemical substance-metallic islands moiety with and resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said chemical substance and a functionality of said chemical substance.

A kit for analysis comprising:

• a first chemical substance adsorbed onto plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate so as to form a first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and wherein said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety is configured to bind a second chemical substance so as to form a second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a transmitter operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and which is further operative to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a detector adapted to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a processor adapted to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said second chemical substance, a functionality of said second chemical substance, said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said first chemical substance and a functionality of said first chemical substance.

An optical sensor for analysis comprising:

• a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate;
• a transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said plurality of metallic islands on said transparent substrate, and further configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through a chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate;
• a detector adapted to detect a resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• a processor adapted to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said plurality of metallic islands so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said chemical substance and a functionality of said chemical substance.

An optical sensor for analysis comprising:

• a first chemical substance adsorbed onto plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate so as to form a first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• a transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate, and further configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate;
• a detector adapted to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, and further configured to detect a resultant optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• a processor adapted to employ said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety and said resultant optical property of said metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said second chemical substance, a functionality of said second chemical substance, said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said first chemical substance and a functionality of said first chemical substance.

A computer program product for analysis, the product comprising a computer-readable medium having program instructions embodied therein, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to:

• transmit electromagnetic radiation through a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate;
• measure an optical property of a plurality of metallic islands on a transparent substrate;
• adsorb a chemical substance onto said plurality of metallic islands so as to produce a chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on said transparent substrate;
• transmit electromagnetic radiation through said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• measure an optical property of metallic island in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• compare said optical property of metallic islands in said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety with said optical property of said plurality of metallic islands so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said chemical substance and a functionality of said chemical substance.

A computer program product for analysis, the product comprising a computer-readable medium having program instructions embodied therein, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to:

• transmit electromagnetic radiation through a first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• measure an optical property of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety on a transparent substrate;
• communicate said second chemical substance with said first chemical substance so as to form a second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• transmit electromagnetic radiation through said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• measure said optical property of metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• and
• compare said optical property of said metallic islands in said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety with said optical property of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety so as to provide at least one of a quantitative indication and a qualitative indication of at least one of:
• said second chemical substance, a functionality of said second chemical substance, said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said second chemical substance-first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety, a functionality of said first chemical substance-metallic islands moiety;
• said plurality of metallic islands, a functionality of said plurality of metallic islands, said first chemical substance and a functionality of said first chemical substance.