Integrated waveguide structure for fluorescence analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816935-B2
Application number	US-201515113122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to structures, systems, and methods for characterizing one or more fluorescent particles. At least one embodiment relates to an integrated waveguide structure. The integrated waveguide structure includes a substrate. The integrated waveguide structure also includes a waveguide layer arranged on top of the substrate. The waveguide layer includes one or more excitation waveguides, one or more emission waveguides, and a particle radiation coupler, which includes a resonator element. In addition, the integrated waveguide structure includes one or more sensing sites configured with respect to the one or more excitation waveguides and the one or more emission waveguides such that a fluorescent particle at one of the sensing sites is activated by an excitation radiation transmitted via the one or more excitation waveguides and radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle is coupled into at least one of the emission waveguides by the particle radiation coupler.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated waveguide structure, comprising:
a substrate;
a waveguide layer arranged on top of the substrate, the waveguide layer comprising:
one or more excitation waveguides configured to transmit excitation radiation to activate a fluorescent particle;
one or more emission waveguides, distinct from the one or more excitation waveguides, configured to transmit radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle; and
a particle radiation coupler, wherein the particle radiation coupler comprises a resonator element arranged to couple radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle into at least one of the emission waveguides in response to the activation by the excitation radiation transmitted via the one or more excitation waveguides; and

one or more sensing sites configured with respect to the one or more excitation waveguides and the one or more emission waveguides such that a fluorescent particle at one of the sensing sites is activated by the excitation radiation transmitted via the one or more excitation waveguides and radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle is coupled into at least one of the emission waveguides by the particle radiation coupler,
wherein the resonator element is positioned between at least one of the emission waveguides and at least one of the excitation waveguides, and
wherein at least one of the sensing sites is positioned between at least one of the excitation waveguides and the resonator element.

2. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the integrated waveguide structure further comprises a sensing layer arranged on top of the waveguide layer, wherein the one or more sensing sites are on top of the sensing layer, and
wherein the one or more sensing sites are disposed in a cavity in the sensing layer or in a cavity extending through the sensing layer and into the waveguide layer.

3. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensing sites are positioned with respect to the one or more excitation waveguides so as to enable the activation of the fluorescent particle by an evanescent field of the excitation radiation propagating through the one or more excitation waveguides.

4. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the particle radiation coupler is a disk resonator, a ring resonator, a linear resonator, or a photonic crystal resonator, and
wherein the particle radiation coupler is tuned to couple radiation having a wavelength corresponding to a wavelength of a fluorescence emission of the fluorescent particle.

5. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 , wherein the particle radiation coupler is positioned in at least one of the emission waveguides or in a near field region thereof.

6. The integrated waveguide structure according claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sensing sites is located above the one or more emission waveguides.

7. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein a direction of at least one of the excitation waveguides is substantially orthogonal to a direction of at least one of the emissions waveguides, thereby forming crossing waveguides.

8. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the excitation waveguides is connected to at least one of the emission waveguides.

9. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 7 ,
wherein the at least one sensing site is positioned above or in the at least one emission waveguide, away from a center of a point of crossing of the crossing waveguides, and
wherein the at least one sensing site is positioned off-center with respect to the at least one emission waveguide.

10. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the excitation waveguides comprises a mode expander, and
wherein the mode expander is positioned at or near at least one of the sensing sites so that excitation radiation at the position of the mode expander can excite the fluorescent particle.

11. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more excitation waveguides comprise a plurality of substantially parallel excitation waveguides,
wherein the one or more emission waveguides comprise a plurality of substantially parallel emission waveguides that cross the plurality of substantially parallel excitation waveguides, and
wherein the one or more sensing sites comprise a plurality of sensing sites each located at a crossing of an excitation waveguide and an emission waveguide.

12. The integrated waveguide structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sensing sites has a surface chemistry adapted for capturing the fluorescent particle or at least one of the sensing sites comprises a cavity that is smaller than a wavelength of the excitation radiation.

13. A characterization system for characterizing at least one fluorescent particle, the characterization system comprising:
an integrated waveguide structure, the integrated waveguide structure comprising:
a substrate;
a waveguide layer arranged on top of the substrate, the waveguide layer comprising:
one or more excitation waveguides configured to transmit excitation radiation to activate a fluorescent particle;
one or more emission waveguides, distinct from the one or more excitation waveguides, configured to transmit radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle; and
a particle radiation coupler, wherein the particle radiation coupler comprises a resonator element arranged to couple radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle into at least one of the emission waveguides in response to the activation by the excitation radiation transmitted via the one or more excitation waveguides; and

one or more sensing sites configured with respect to the one or more excitation waveguides and the one or more emission waveguides such that a fluorescent particle at one of the sensing sites is activated by the excitation radiation transmitted via the one or more excitation waveguides and radiation emitted by the fluorescent particle is coupled into at least one of the emission waveguides by the particle radiation coupler,
wherein the resonator element is positioned between at least one of the emission waveguides and at least one of the excitation waveguides, and
wherein at least one of the sensing sites is positioned between at least one of the excitation waveguides and the resonator element;
one or more excitation radiation sources configured to transmit the excitation radiation through at least one of the excitation waveguides; and
one or more detectors configured to detect radiation transmitted by at least one of the emission waveguides.

14. The characterization system according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of the detectors is an integrated detector integrated in the at least one of the emission waveguides, or at least one of the excitation radiation sources is an integrated radiation source integrated in the at least one of the excitation waveguides, or at least one of the detectors comprises a rejection filter suitable for rejecting the excitation radiation transmitted by at least one of the excitation waveguides.

15. The characterization system according to claim 13 ,
wherein the one or more excitation waveguides comprise a plurality of substantially parallel excitation waveguides,
wherein the one or more emission waveguides comprise a plurality of substantially parallel emission waveguides that cross the plurality of substantially parallel excitation waveguides,
wherein the one or more sensing si

Assignees

• Imec Vzw

Inventors

• Peumans Peter
• Van Dorpe Pol

Classifications

• G02B6/125

  Bends, branchings or intersections · CPC title

• G01N21/648

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

• G01N2021/7786

  Fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N21/7746 Primary

  the waveguide coupled to a cavity resonator · CPC title

• G02B6/1223

  high refractive index type, i.e. high-contrast waveguides · CPC title