Optical detector including Bragg waveguide structure
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsHenning Fouckhardt, Thomas Delonge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical detector for use in liquid chromatography systems or capillary electrophoresis systems comprises an optically transparent detector body through which an analyte channel extends, a fluid containing the analyte being adapted to be guided through said analyte channel. In order to increase the detection sensitivity, the light path between a light source introducing light and an optoelectric sensor element of the liquid chromatography system or capillary electrophoresis system is constructed as a Bragg waveguide structure extending at least along a sublength of said analyte channel essentially in the channel direction.
Claims9
An optical detector device for analytical measurement systems, in particular for use in liquid chromatography systems or capillary electrophoresis systems, comprising:
- an analyte channel through which a fluid containing the analyte can be guided, and
- a light path extending through said analyte channel into which light coming from a light source can be introduced and from which light can be coupled out and introduced in an optoelectric sensor element of the analytical measurement system,
- at least part of the light path being defined by a waveguide, which is constructed at least partially as a Bragg waveguide structure in such a way that the light is guided through the analyte channel essentially in the channel direction at least along a sublength of said analyte channel, said Bragg waveguide structure exhibiting Bragg reflecting layers in a plane extending through the analyte channel, and further defined by an antiresonant reflecting waveguide structure in an additional plane which is perpendicular to said first-mentioned plane and which also extends through said analyte channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.