Microelectronic sensor device for detecting label particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658219-B2
Application number	US-51816407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2007
Priority date	Dec 12, 2006
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A microelectronic sensor device for the detection of target components with label or magnetic particles includes a carrier with a binding surface at which target components can collect and optionally bind to specific capture elements. An input light beam is transmitted into the carrier and totally internally reflected at the binding surface. The amount of light in the output light beam is detected by a light detector. Evanescent light generated during the total internal reflection is affected by target components and/or label particles at the binding surface and will be missing in the output light beam. This is used to determine the amount of target components at the binding surface from the amount of light in the output light beam. A magnetic field generator is optionally used to generate a magnetic field at the binding surface by which magnetic label particles can be manipulated, such as attracted or repelled.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microelectronic sensor device for the detection of target components, the microelectronic sensor device comprising:
label particles arranged to be specifically bound to the target components, the label particles comprising at least one of macroscopic absorbing and scattering particles;
a carrier with a binding surface at which the label particles bound to the target components can collect;
a light source for emitting an input light beam for entering the carrier through an entrance window such that the input light beam is totally internally reflected in an investigation region at the binding surface on which the label particles bound to the target components have collected, the totally reflected input light beam being frustrated due to the presence of the label particles in the investigation region resulting in a decrease in light intensity of the totally reflected input light beam;
a light detector for determining the amount of light in an output light beam that comprises at least some of the frustrated totally reflected input light beam that leaves the carrier though an exit window.

2. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a field generator for generating at least one of a magnetic field and an electrical field that can affect the label particles.

3. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sample chamber adjacent to the binding surface in which a sample with target components can be provided.

4. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation module for determining the amount of target components in the investigation region from the measured output light beam.

5. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a recording module for monitoring the determined amount of reflected light over an observation period.

6. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier comprises a plurality of investigation regions at which different input light beams can be totally internally reflected.

7. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 6 , further comprising a scanning module for optically coupling the light source and/or the light detector to different investigation regions at the binding surface.

8. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of light sources and/or a plurality of light detectors that are optically coupled to different investigation regions at the binding surface.

9. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the microelectronic sensor device comprises a plurality of individually controllable field generators associated to different investigation regions.

10. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising label particles with a mantle of a transparent material having a similar refractive index as the carrier.

11. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second light detector for determining fluorescence light emitted by target components at the binding surface.

12. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising an input-light monitoring sensor for determining the amount of light in the input light beam.

13. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 12 , wherein the input-light monitoring sensor is disposed inside the light source or outside from it.

14. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 12 , further comprising an evaluation module for relating the determined amount of light in the output light beam to the determined amount of light in the input light beam.

15. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is configured to generate a linearly polarized input light beam.

16. The microelectronic sensor device according to claim 15 , wherein the input light beam has a linear polarization in a plane of incidence with respect to the entrance window , and wherein the output light beam has a linear polarization in a plane of incidence with respect to the exit window.

17. A microelectronic sensor device for the detection of target components, the microelectronic sensor device comprising:
label particles capable of being bound to the target components, the label particles comprising at least one of macroscopic absorbing and scattering particles;
a carrier with a binding surface at which the target components including the label particles can collect;
a light source for emitting an input light beam into the carrier such that the input light beam is refracted at the binding surface and enters the carrier as a refracted light beam at a refraction angle to be totally internally reflected in an investigation region at the binding surface on which the target components including the label particles have collected, the totally reflected input light beam being frustrated resulting in a decrease in light intensity of the totally reflected input light beam; and
a light detector determining the amount of light in an output light beam that comprises at least some of the decreased frustrated totally reflected input light beam.

18. A microelectronic sensor device for the detection of a target component, the microelectronic sensor device comprising:
label particles bindable to the target component, the label particles comprising at least one of macroscopic absorbing and scattering particles;
a carrier with a binding surface at which the target component including the label particles can collect;
a light source for emitting an input light beam into the carrier such that the input light beam is refracted at the binding surface and enters the carrier as a refracted light beam at a refraction angle to be totally internally reflected in an investigation region at the binding surface on which the target component including the label particles has collected, the totally reflected input light beam being frustrated resulting in a decrease in light intensity of the totally reflected input light beam;
a light detector for determining the amount of light in an output light beam that comprises at least some of the decreased frustrated totally reflected input light beam; and
an evaluation module configured to determine an amount of the target component from an amount of light missing in the output light beam when compared to the input light beam.

Assignees

• Verschuren Coen Adrianus
• Bruls Dominique Maria
• Immink Albert Hendrik Jan
• De Theije Femke Karina
• Van Der Wijk Thea
• Van Der Lee Alexander Marc
• Schleipen Johannes Joseph Hubertina Barbara
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Verschuren Coen Adrianus
• Bruls Dominique Maria
• Immink Albert Hendrik Jan
• De Theije Femke Karina
• Van Der Wijk Thea
• Van Der Lee Alexander Marc
• Schleipen Johannes Joseph Hubertina Barbara

Classifications

• G01N21/6452

  Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates · CPC title

• G01N21/553

  and using surface plasmons (fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658) · CPC title

• Y10S436/00

  Chemistry: analytical and immunological testing · CPC title

• G01N21/648

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

• G01N33/543 Primary

  with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals · CPC title