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US 7,885,490 B2Granted
Optical chemical detector and method
AssigneeOctrolix BV
InventorsRene Gerrit Heideman, Ronald Dekker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for optically detecting the presence of an analyte in a solution is presented. An embodiment comprises a waveguide resonator that is optically coupled to a fluid in a fluidic conduit so that the resonant wavelength of the waveguide resonator is based on the refractive index of the fluid.
Claims15
A sensor comprising:
- a fluidic conduit for conveying a fluid, wherein the fluidic conduit comprises a first region;
- a first waveguide resonator, wherein the first waveguide resonator is optically resonant for a first spectral component when the fluid in the first region has a first refractive index, and wherein the first waveguide resonator is optically resonant for a second spectral component when the fluid in the first region has a second refractive index;
- a first bus waveguide and a second bus waveguide, wherein the first waveguide resonator comprises the first bus waveguide and the second bus waveguide;
- and
- an input port, wherein the input port, first bus waveguide and second bus waveguide are optically coupled;
- wherein the first waveguide resonator is dimensioned and arranged to return the first spectral component to the input port when the fluid in the first region has the first index of refraction.
3 more elements
A sensor for detecting the presence of an analyte in a fluid comprising:
- a fluidic conduit for providing the fluid at a first region;
- a first waveguide resonator, wherein the first waveguide resonator and the fluid are optically coupled at the first region, and wherein the first waveguide resonator is dimensioned and arranged to receive a first light signal and provide a second light signal that is based on the first light signal, and further wherein the second light signal has a first intensity when the fluid is analyte-free and a second intensity when the fluid comprises the analyte;
- a first bus waveguide and a second bus waveguide, wherein the first waveguide resonator comprises the first bus waveguide and the second bus waveguide;
- and
- an input port, wherein the input port, first bus waveguide, and second bus waveguide are optically coupled, and wherein the first waveguide resonator is dimensioned and arranged to reflect a first spectral component to the input port when the fluid in the first region is analyte-free and a second spectral component to the input port when the fluid in the first region comprises the analyte.
2 more elements
A method for detecting an analyte in a fluid comprising:
- receiving a first light signal at a first waveguide resonator, wherein the first waveguide resonator and the fluid are optically coupled at a first region of a fluidic conduit;
- receiving a second light signal from the first waveguide resonator, wherein the second light signal has a first intensity when the fluid in the first region is analyte-free and a second intensity when the fluid in the first region comprises an analyte;
- adding a sample to the fluid at a first time, wherein the sample is added at a second region of the fluidic conduit, and wherein the sample comprises the analyte;
- inducing a flow of the fluid from the second region to the first region;
- and
- computing a first time differential between the first time and a second time, wherein the second time is based on a change in the intensity of the second signal.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.