Loading patent…
AssigneeAmersham International plc
InventorMartin F. Finlan
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for assaying a species in a biological sample fluid. The apparatus comprises an SAW device (1) comprising a slab (2) of piezoelectric material on the upper surface (5) of which is formed an input transducer (3) and an output transducer (4). A source of RF energy is applied to the input transducer to generate a surface acoustic wave. Applied to the surface (5) is a thin layer (8) of a material capable of binding a species to be assayed. The sample (13) to be tested is applied to the top of the layer (8). A collimated light beam (1) from a source (9) is applied to the thin film from underneath the slab (2) and is collected by a photodetector (12). When the slab (2) is energized, the vibration sets up an effective diffraction grating which is coupled to the thin film and acts to diffract the light beam (10) applied to it. The energy in the diffracted beam, as measured by the photodetector ( 12), is indicative of the progress and result of the reaction between the layer 8 and the sample.
A method of assaying a species in a liquid sample, said method comprising applying to the surface of a slab of piezoelectric material a thin film of a material capable of binding a species to be assayed, applying the sample to be assayed onto the thin film, energising the piezoelectric material in such a way as to generate vibrations in the piezoelectric material which are coupled into the thin film to thus define an effectve diffraction grating, applying a beam of electromagnetic radiation to the thin film in such a way as to be diffracted by the grating, and detecting either the thus-diffracted radiation and/or the energy in the form of a plasmon wave coupled into the piezoelectric material.
Apparatus for assaying a species in a liquid sample, said apparatus comprising a slab of piezoelectric material having applied thereto a thin film of a material capable of binding a species to the assayed, means for energising said piezoelectric material in such a way as to generate vibrations which are coupled into the thin film to thus define an effective diffraction grating, a source of electromagnetic radiation for applying to the thin film a beam of radiation, and detector means for detecting either radiation diffracted by the grating, or energy in the form of a plasmon wave coupled into the piezoelectric material when the electromagnetic radiation is incident on the thin film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.