Fluidic Cartridge With Reaction Chamber Closed by Thermally-Conductive Laminate Seal

A cartridge within which the presence or absence of an analyte of interest contained in a reaction mixture can be detected by exposing the reaction mixture to an excitation optical signal and detecting the presence or absence of an emission optical signal from the reaction mixture, the cartridge comprising:

• a cartridge body having one or more reaction chambers, each reaction chamber being configured to receive a reaction mixture, wherein one wall of each reaction chamber is transparent or translucent to permit an optical signal to pass through the wall into or out of the reaction chamber, and wherein each reaction chamber is open to a surface of the cartridge body;
• a film affixed to the surface of the cartridge body and covering a first portion of the surface of the cartridge body, and wherein the first portion of the surface is spatially separated from the reaction chamber open to the surface;
• and
• a thermally-conductive laminate seal affixed to a second portion of the surface of the cartridge body, wherein the second portion of the surface encompasses the reaction chamber open to the surface and the thermally-conductive laminate seal closes the reaction chamber, and wherein the thermally-conductive laminate seal comprises:
• a plastic layer affixed to the second portion of the surface of the cartridge body and closing the reaction chamber;
• and
• a conductive layer affixed to a surface of the plastic layer opposite a surface of the plastic affixed to the second portion of the surface of the cartridge body.