Optical sensor for analyte detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10633734-B2
Application number	US-201615232651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Oct 5, 2012
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for detection of an analyte in a sample are disclosed. In some embodiments, an optical sensor can include a metallic layer and a plurality of dielectric pillars extending through the metallic layer. A plurality of regions of concentrated light can be supported in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars when a surface of the metallic layer is illuminated. Concentrated light within one or more of these regions can interact with an analyte molecule, allowing for detection of the analyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for detecting an analyte within a sample, the device comprising:
a light source;
an optical detector;
a metallic layer; and
a plurality of dielectric pillars extending through the metallic layer,
wherein the optical detector is provided on one side of the metallic layer and the light source is provided on the opposite side of the metallic layer,
wherein the plurality of dielectric pillars are tapered and have larger cross-sections on the side of the light source and smaller cross-sections on the side of the optical detector, and
wherein a plurality of regions of concentrated light are supported in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars on the same side as the optical detector when the opposite side of the metallic layer is illuminated by the light source.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric layer having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the metallic layer is formed on the top surface of the dielectric layer, and wherein the plurality of regions of concentrated light are supported in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars when the bottom surface of the metallic layer is illuminated.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a window formed on the bottom surface of the dielectric layer below the plurality of dielectric pillars.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of regions of concentrated light comprise spatially-separated voxels above each of the plurality of dielectric pillars to which the light is substantially confined.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electric field strength of the light decays exponentially with height above the plurality of dielectric pillars.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of dielectric pillars has a circular cross-section.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the optical detector is configured to receive light from an object located in one of the regions of concentrated light, the analyte being capable of being detected based on the received light.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the optical detector is capable of measuring detected light at a plurality of wavelengths.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric pillars comprise silicon dioxide.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein metallic layer comprises gold.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dielectric pillars are functionalized such that the plurality of dielectric pillars are capable of specifically binding to an analyte of interest.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dielectric pillars are non-linearly tapered.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to detect the analyte based on an interaction with at least one of the plurality of regions of concentrated light.

14. A device for detecting an analyte within a sample, the device comprising:
a light source;
an optical detector;
a metallic layer; and
a plurality of dielectric pillars extending through the metallic layer, one or more of the plurality of dielectric pillars having a non-rotationally symmetric cross-section,
wherein the optical detector is provided on one side of the metallic layer and the light source is provided on the opposite side of the metallic layer, and
wherein a plurality of regions of concentrated light are supported in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars on the same side as the optical detector when the opposite side of the metallic layer is illuminated by the light source.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of dielectric pillars comprise a first pillar oriented with a first angular orientation, and a second pillar oriented with a different second angular orientation.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the light source can vary the polarization of its light.

17. The device of claim 16 , further comprising a computer configured to analyze images from the optical detector and to determine the location of an analyte molecule based on the polarization of the light and the angular orientations of the dielectric pillars.

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of dielectric pillars comprise a first pillar with a first cross-sectional aspect ratio, and a second pillar with a second cross-sectional aspect ratio.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the light source can vary the wavelength of its light.

20. The device of claim 19 , further comprising a computer configured to analyze images from the optical detector and to determine the location of an analyte molecule based on the wavelength of the light and the cross-sectional aspect ratios of the dielectric pillars.

21. A device for detecting an analyte within a sample, the device comprising:
a light source;
an optical detector;
a metallic layer; and
a plurality of dielectric pillars extending through the metallic layer,
wherein the optical detector is provided on one side of the metallic layer and the light source is provided on the opposite side of the metallic layer, and
wherein a plurality of regions of concentrated light are supported in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars on the same side as the optical detector when the opposite side of the metallic layer is illuminated by the light source, each of the plurality of regions of concentrated light having a dimension of about λ/500 to about λ/5, where λ is the center wavelength of the light from the light source.

22. A device for detecting an analyte within a sample, the device comprising:
a metallic layer; and
a plurality of solid dielectric pillars extending through the metallic layer, the individual pillars having a uniform composition,
wherein a plurality of regions of concentrated light are supported on one side of the device in proximity to the ends of the plurality of dielectric pillars when an opposite side of the device is illuminated.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Walavalkar Sameer Sudhir
• Homyk Andrew Peter
• Jones William Maxwell
• Scherer Axel
• Fraser Scott
• Truong Thai Viet

Classifications

• C23C14/0021 Primary

  Reactive sputtering or evaporation · CPC title

• C23F4/00

  Processes for removing metallic material from surfaces, not provided for in group C23F1/00 or C23F3/00 · CPC title

• G01N21/554

  detecting the surface plasmon resonance of nanostructured metals, e.g. localised surface plasmon resonance · CPC title

• C23C14/025

  Metallic sublayers · CPC title

• G01N21/648

  using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence · CPC title