Fluorescence detection enhancement using photonic crystal extraction
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorsBrain T. Cunningham, Nikhil Ganesh, Patrick C. Mathias, Ian D. Block
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Abstract
Enhancement of fluorescence emission from fluorophores bound to a sample and present on the surface of two-dimensional photonic crystals is described. The enhancement of fluorescence is achieved by the combination of high intensity near-fields and strong coherent scattering effects, attributed to leaky photonic crystal eigenmodes (resonance modes). The photonic crystal simultaneously exhibits resonance modes which overlap both the absorption and emission wavelengths of the fluorophore. A significant enhancement in fluorescence intensity from the fluorophores on the photonic crystal surface is demonstrated.
Claims16
A detection instrument for a biosensor, comprising:
- an optical system directing light onto the biosensor comprising a laser light unit, a beam expander expanding a beam generated by the laser light unit, and a device for adjusting polarization of the light generated by the laser light unit;
- an angle-tunable mirror receiving beam-expanded laser light and directing the expanded beam to the biosensor;
- and
- an imaging system receiving light from biosensor, the imaging system comprising an optical path containing an objective lens, a narrow-linewidth bandpass filter and a camera.
A detection instrument for a photonic crystal biosensor exhibiting an enhanced excitation and extraction modes, comprising:
- a laser light source;
- an optical system directing light from the laser light source to the photonic crystal biosensor, the biosensor responsively and simultaneously exhibiting (1) an excitation resonance mode having a spectrum which at least partially overlaps an excitation spectrum of a fluorophore bound to the biosensor;
- and (2) an extraction resonance mode having a spectrum which at least partially overlaps the emission spectrum of the fluorophore, and
- a detection system placed to capture light from the biosensor in the extraction resonance mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.