Method for optical detection of an adjoining of a material component to a sensor material with the aid of biological, chemical or physical interaction and device for carrying out said method (variants)

A method of optical detection of binding of at least one material component to a substance located on a surface of or inside a sensor layer due to a biological, chemical or physical interaction, which comprises:

• irradiation of the sensor layer by light of various wavelengths, for which the sensor layer is transparent, at least, partially;
• registration in the reflected or transmitted light of a signal, which depends upon optical thickness of the said sensor layer and is due to the fact that interference on the said sensor layer modulates the said reflection or transmission spectrum of the said sensor layer, respectively;
• judging about the binding being detected from a change of the said signal,
• characterized in that:
• on the pathway of the light from the source to the detector a scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is placed along with the sensor layer;
• the base (i.e. length of optical path between the mirrors) of the scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is chosen sufficiently large so that the period of the transmission spectrum of the said scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is at least twice as small as the width of spectral range of wavelengths participating in formation of the recorded signal;
• the base of the said scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is modulated;
• distribution of intensity of the said reflected or transmitted light, summed up over the said spectral interval, as a function of base of the scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is registered as the said signal.

An apparatus for optical detection of binding of at least one material component to a substance located on a surface of or inside a sensor layer due to a biological, chemical or physical interaction, which comprises:

• a sensor layer;
• a source of light, which irradiates the sensor layer, of wavelengths that include at least operating wavelengths, for which the sensor layer is transparent, at least, partially;
• a detector, which is placed on the pathway of the light reflected from the sensor layer or transmitted through the sensor layer, for measuring the light intensity of operational wavelengths in the spectrum of the received light;
• a block of result generation, for example, a computer, to generate information about the binding being detected on the basis of changes of the said spectrum, whose input is connected to the output of the detector,
• characterised in that:
• the thickness of the said sensor layer is more than 10 μm and, at the same time, exceeds the maximal operating wavelength by at least one order of magnitude;
• either the source radiates collimated light or a means of collimating the light is introduced on the pathway of the light from the source before the sensor layer so that the sensor layer is irradiated by collimated light.

An apparatus for optical detection of binding of at least one material component to a substance located on a surface of or inside the sensor layer due to a biological, chemical or physical interaction, which comprises:

• a sensor layer;
• a source of light, which irradiates the sensor layer, of wavelengths that include at least operating wavelengths, for which the sensor layer is transparent, at least, partially;
• a detector, which is placed on the pathway of the light reflected from the sensor layer or transmitted through the sensor layer, for measuring intensity of light of operating wavelengths;
• a block of result generation, for example, a computer, to generate information about the binding being detected, whose input is connected to the output of the detector,
• characterized in that:
• on the pathway of the light from the source to the detector a scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer with modulated base (i.e. length of optical path between the mirrors) is placed along with the sensor layer;
• the base of the scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is sufficiently large so that the related period of the transmission spectrum of the said scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer is at least twice as small as the width of spectral range, corresponding to operating wavelengths;
• block of signal generation is made capable to register distribution of the light intensity measured by the detector, summed up over the operating wavelengths, as a function of base of the scanned Fabry-Perot interferometer and generate information about the binding being detected on the basis of a change of the said distribution.

A method of optical detection of binding of at least one material component to a substance located on a surface of or inside a sensor layer due to a biological, chemical or physical interaction, which comprises:

• irradiation of the sensor layer by light of various wavelengths, for which the sensor layer is transparent, at least, partially;
• registration in the reflected or transmitted light of a signal, which depends upon optical thickness of the said sensor layer and is due to the fact that interference on the said sensor layer modulates the said reflection or transmission spectrum of the said sensor layer, respectively;
• judging about the binding being detected from a change of the said signal,
• characterized in that:
• on the pathway of the light from the source to the detector a scanned interferometer is placed along with the sensor layer;
• the path difference of beams of the said scanned interferometer is chosen sufficiently large so that the period of the transmission spectrum of the said scanned interferometer is at least twice as small as the width of spectral range of wavelengths participating in formation of the recorded signal;
• the path difference of beams of the said scanned interferometer is modulated;
• distribution of intensity of the said reflected or transmitted light, summed up over the said spectral interval, as a function of the path difference of beams of the said scanned interferometer is registered as the said signal.

An apparatus for optical detection of binding of at least one material component to a substance located on a surface of or inside the sensor layer due to a biological, chemical or physical interaction, which comprises:

• a sensor layer;
• a source of light, which irradiates the sensor layer, of wavelengths that include at least operating wavelengths, for which the sensor layer is transparent, at least, partially;
• a detector, which is placed on the pathway of the light reflected from the sensor layer or transmitted through the sensor layer, for measuring intensity of light of operating wavelengths;
• a block of result generation, for example, a computer, to generate information about the binding being detected, whose input is connected to the output of the detector,
• characterized in that:
• on the pathway of the light from the source to the detector a scanned interferometer with modulated path difference of beams is placed along with the sensor layer;
• the path difference of beams of the said scanned interferometer is sufficiently large so that the related period of the transmission spectrum of the said scanned interferometer is at least twice as small as the width of spectral range, corresponding to operating wavelengths;
• block of signal generation is made capable to register distribution of the light intensity measured by the detector, summed up over the operating wavelengths, as a function of path difference of beams of the scanned interferometer and generate information about the binding being detected on the basis of a change of the said distribution.