Method and apparatus for polarizing nuclear and electronic spins

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330750-B2
Application number	US-201414781127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A method and apparatus for polarizing nuclear or electronic spins is disclosed. An analyte is passed near a surface that has a plurality of spin defect centers implanted within 10 nm of the surface. The spin defect centers are exposed to a magnetic field and illumination to produce polarized spins. The polarized spins then induce spin polarization in the analyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for polarizing nuclear or electronic spins, the method comprising steps of:
introducing an analyte into a channel, wherein at least one surface of the channel is a substrate comprising a plurality of spin defect centers implanted inside 10 nm of the at least one surface of the channel;
exposing the spin defect centers to a magnetic field of at least 500 gauss while the analyte is in the channel;
illuminating the plurality of spin defect centers with light to produce polarized spins in the spin defect centers, the step of illuminating occurring while the analyte contacts the at least one surface, thereby positioning the analyte proximate the polarized spins; and
permitting the polarized spins in the spin defect centers to induce spin polarization in the analyte.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , the method further comprising detecting the analyte based on its induced spin polarization.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the step of detecting the analyte is performed by irradiating the induced spin polarization in the analyte with an electromagnetic wave and observing a signal produced by the analyte in response to the electromagnetic wave.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spin defect centers are present in a concentration between about 10 11 and 10 13 spin defect centers per square centimeter inside 10 nm of the at least one surface.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the polarized spins in the spin defect centers to induce spin polarization in the analyte causes at least 0.001% of the analyte's spins to be polarized.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the polarized spins in the spin defect centers to induce spin polarization in the analyte causes at least 0.003% of the analyte's spins to be polarized.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the polarized spins in the spin defect centers to induce spin polarization in the analyte causes at least 0.001% of the analyte's spins to be polarized while the magnetic field is 1 T or less.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a wide bandgap material.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a silicon carbide substrate and the spin defect centers are selected from the group consisting of Photo-Luminescence 5 (PL5) defects and Photo-Luminescence 6 defects (PL6).

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a diamond crystal substrate and the spin defect centers are nitrogen-vacancy centers.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the channel is a microfluidic channel having a width of at least about 50 nm and less than about 50 microns.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the microfluidic channel has a depth of at least 80 nm and less than 50 microns.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the microfluidic channel has a depth of at least 100 nm and less than 10 microns.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the channel is disposed within a polymeric layer disposed next to the substrate such that at least three surfaces of the channel are formed from the polymeric layer and a fourth surface of the channel is the at least one Surface of the channel.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the channel is within the substrate such that at least three surfaces of the channel are formed from the substrate one of which is the at least one surface of the channel.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the at least three surfaces each comprise spin defect centers inside 10 nm of their respective surface.

18. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the at least one surface has a surface-roughness with trenches having a depth of between about 5 nm and about 10 microns.

Assignees

• Univ City New York Res Found

Inventors

• Meriles Carlos A

Classifications

• G01N24/12

  by using double resonance · CPC title

• G01R33/62

  using double resonance (G01R33/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R33/302 Primary

  Miniaturized sample handling arrangements for sampling small quantities, e.g. flow-through microfluidic NMR chips · CPC title

• G01R33/282 Primary

  Means specially adapted for hyperpolarisation or for hyperpolarised contrast agents, e.g. for the generation of hyperpolarised gases using optical pumping cells, for storing hyperpolarised contrast agents or for the determination of the polarisation of a hyperpolarised contrast agent · CPC title

• G01R33/307

  specially adapted for moving the sample relative to the MR system, e.g. spinning mechanisms, flow cells or means for positioning the sample inside a spectrometer · CPC title