Digital micro-fluidic chip, optical detection system and optical detection method

Abstract

The invention provides a digital micro-fluidic chip. The digital micro-fluidic chip comprises a first substrate; the second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate to define a sample channel, the sample channel comprises a plurality of channel units, and each channel unit is used for accommodating a biological sample; the shading structure is located on the side, away from the second substrate, of the first substrate, the shading structure comprises a shading part, and orthographic projections, on the shading structure, of junction areas among the multiple channel units are located on the shading part. According to the digital micro-fluidic chip, fluorescence crosstalk between adjacent samples can be effectively avoided, and the accuracy of detection information can be improved. The invention also provides an optical detection system and an optical detection method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of optical detection technology, and in particular to a digital microfluidic chip, an optical detection system, and an optical detection method for use in the optical detection system. Background Technology

[0002] Digital microfluidic (DMF) technology has advantages such as high-throughput analysis, reduced reagent consumption, and shorter detection time in quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) nucleic acid detection, clinical diagnosis, and cell analysis. It is widely used in molecular biology research and medical research.

[0003] qPCR (qPCR) nucleic acid detection is a commonly used molecular biology technique for rapidly determining the quantity of specific sequences in DNA or RNA samples. Fluorescence signal acquisition is a crucial step in the qPCR process. In the DMF (dimethylformamide) chips used in qPCR, there are no physical gaps between the qPCR detection zones. Typically, the sample spacing on the chip is shortened to increase the sample detection capacity and address issues such as high chip cost and long detection time (due to long travel distances). However, this increases the risk of crosstalk between adjacent samples, leading to low detection accuracy or false positives.

[0004] In qPCR nucleic acid detection systems, stepper motors are needed to drive the chip stage to translate and scan the DMF chip. The DMF chip scanning process includes optical excitation and optical acquisition. However, the response time of the stepper motor and the optical excitation and acquisition processes cannot be precisely synchronized. Furthermore, during the optical acquisition process, when scanning non-qPCR areas of the DMF chip, the DMF chip material cannot achieve full light transmission or has poor light transmission uniformity, resulting in interference greater than the sample signal. This makes it impossible to determine the starting position of the acquired signal in terms of time and shape. The deviation in the starting position makes it impossible to correctly extract the data of each sample signal at fixed intervals, thus affecting subsequent data analysis. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first aspect of this application provides a digital microfluidic chip, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate to enclose a sample channel, the sample channel comprising a plurality of channel units, each of the channel units being used to contain a biological sample; and a light-shielding structure located on the side of the first substrate away from the second substrate, the light-shielding structure comprising a light-shielding portion, wherein the orthographic projection of the boundary region between the plurality of channel units on the light-shielding structure is located on the light-shielding portion.

[0006] A second aspect of this application provides an optical detection system, comprising: a detection optical path for emitting excitation light; a chip stage for supporting a biochip, the biochip having multiple channel units, each channel unit for accommodating a biological sample, the biological sample generating laser light when irradiated by the excitation light; a light-shielding structure located between the detection optical path and the chip stage, the light-shielding structure including a light-shielding portion for isolating the laser light generated by the biological sample in each of the channel units; and a control structure connected to the detection optical path for controlling the detection optical path to emit the excitation light and analyzing the biological sample based on the laser light.

[0007] A third aspect of this application provides an optical detection method applied in an optical detection system, the optical detection system including a chip stage and a light-shielding structure; the optical detection method includes: emitting excitation light onto a biological sample of a biochip, the biochip having multiple channel units; causing the excitation light to irradiate the biological sample in each of the channel units, so that the biological sample in each of the channel units generates laser light; and receiving the laser light to analyze the biological sample.

[0008] The aforementioned digital microfluidic chip, optical detection system, and optical detection method, by setting a light-shielding structure including a light-shielding part, can effectively isolate the laser emitted by biological samples in each channel unit from the boundary area between each channel unit, avoiding crosstalk between laser (fluorescence signals) between adjacent channel units, thereby improving the accuracy of detection information. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the DMF chip according to Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0010] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the DMF chip along line II-II and the optical signal intensity in each region.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the DMF chip in a modified embodiment of Example 1.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of the optical detection system according to Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0013] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the light-shielding structure and the position of the biochip.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the optical detection method according to Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0015] Explanation of main component symbols DMF chip: 1 First substrate: 10 First substrate: 11 First electrode: 12 Second substrate: 20 Second substrate: 21 Second electrode: 22 Sample channels: 30 Channel unit: 31 Light-blocking structure: 40, 330 Shading part: 41, 331 Light-transmitting part: 42, 332 Reflective parts: 43, 333 Opening size: 44 Biological samples: 2 Optical inspection system: 3 Detection optical path: 310 Yellow fluorescence signal acquisition channel: 311 Blue fluorescence signal acquisition channel: 312 Green fluorescence signal acquisition channel: 313 Red fluorescence signal acquisition channel: 314 Drive structure: 340 Control structure: 350 Biochip: 4 Channel unit: 410 Steps: S1, S2, S3.

[0016] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will further illustrate this application. Detailed Implementation

[0017] This application provides a DMF chip, an optical detection system, and an optical detection method applied to the optical detection system. The DMF chip includes a light-shielding structure, or the optical detection system includes a light-shielding structure. By isolating the fluorescence signals generated by adjacent biological samples on the DMF chip through the light-shielding structure, crosstalk between fluorescence signals of adjacent biological samples can be effectively avoided, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of detection information.

[0018] Example 1 Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the DMF chip 1 includes a first substrate 10 and a second substrate 20 that are spaced apart from each other and disposed opposite to each other. The first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 enclose a sample channel 30. The sample channel 30 is used to accommodate a biological sample 2, and the biological sample 2 can move within the sample channel 30.

[0019] The first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11 and a first electrode 12 formed on the first substrate 11. The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a plurality of second electrodes 22 arranged at intervals on the second substrate 21. A sample channel 30 is located between the first electrode 12 and each of the second electrodes 22. The first electrode 12 and each of the second electrodes 22 have a facing area, that is, the orthographic projection of the first electrode 12 on the second substrate 20 covers each of the second electrodes 22.

[0020] The first electrode 12 and each of the second electrodes 22 are conductive structures. When a voltage is applied to the first electrode 12 and each of the second electrodes 22, creating a voltage difference between them, an electric field is formed between them. The electric field strength and direction can be controlled by adjusting the voltage. When a biological sample 2 is contained in the sample channel 30, the biological sample 2 is located in and controlled by the electric field.

[0021] In this embodiment, the sample channel 30 is defined as including multiple channel units 31. Each channel unit 31 is a spatial unit in the sample channel 30 corresponding to a second electrode 22. Multiple channel units 31 correspond one-to-one with multiple second electrodes 22. When a voltage is applied to the first electrode 12 and each of the second electrodes 22, creating a voltage difference between them, an electric field is formed between each second electrode 22 and the first electrode 12. That is, each channel unit 31 is located in the electric field formed by its corresponding second electrode 22 and the first electrode 12. Each channel unit 31 contains a biological sample 2, and the biological samples 2 in different channel units 31 are spaced apart. In this embodiment, the voltage on the first electrode 12 is constant. By controlling the voltage on each of the second electrodes 22, the electric field strength and direction can be controlled, thus allowing control of the biological sample 2 within each channel unit 31.

[0022] In this embodiment, the biological sample 2 carries fluorescent material. When excitation light (laser) irradiates the biological sample 2, the fluorescent material is excited and emits fluorescence. In this embodiment, the first substrate 11 and the first electrode 12 are transparent structures, while the second substrate 21 and the second electrode 22 are opaque structures. Excitation light enters the sample channel 30 from one side of the first substrate 10 to irradiate the biological sample 2. The emitted fluorescence from the biological sample 2 is transmitted through the first substrate 10.

[0023] Because the spacing between the biological samples 2 in each channel unit 31 is extremely small, and there is no physical gap between the channel units 31, and the laser beam will diverge during propagation, if the laser beam is directly transmitted from the first substrate 10, the laser beams from adjacent channel units 31 are likely to diffract after exiting the first substrate 10, causing crosstalk of the laser beam (fluorescence signal) between adjacent channel units 31. In this embodiment, the area where the biological sample 2 is located can be defined as the qPCR detection area, and the area between the biological samples 2 (that is, the boundary area between each channel unit 31, or the area on the left and right sides of the boundary line between each adjacent channel unit 31, the boundary line is...) Figure 2 The dashed line in the middle can be defined as the non-qPCR detection area.

[0024] In this embodiment, the DMF chip 1 also includes a light-shielding structure 40 disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 away from the second substrate 20, for isolating the laser emitted from each channel unit 31, so as to improve the fluorescence signal crosstalk problem between adjacent qPCR detection areas.

[0025] In this embodiment, the light-shielding structure 40 is a thin sheet structure, fixedly connected (e.g., attached) to the surface of the first substrate 11 away from the second substrate 20. The light-shielding structure 40 is made of a light-transmitting material (e.g., plastic, glass, etc.), and a portion of it is anodized on the upper and / or lower surfaces to create an uneven structure (microstructure, not shown in the figure), making the surface of this portion rough, which can suppress light reflection, eliminate gloss, and present a "matte black" state. The anodized portion serves as the light-shielding part 41 of the light-shielding structure 40, while the remaining unanodized portion remains light-transmitting and serves as the light-transmitting part 42 of the light-shielding structure 40.

[0026] In this embodiment, each channel unit 31 is arranged in a channel array comprising multiple rows and columns. The light-shielding structure 40 includes multiple light-transmitting parts 42 arranged at intervals, and each light-transmitting part 42 is arranged in a light-transmitting part array comprising multiple rows and columns. The light-shielding parts 41 are spliced ​​with each light-transmitting part 42.

[0027] Multiple light-transmitting portions 42 correspond one-to-one with multiple channel units 31. The orthographic projection of each channel unit 31 onto the light-shielding structure 40 lies on its corresponding light-transmitting portion 42, allowing the laser emitted from each channel unit 31 to exit from its corresponding light-transmitting portion 42. In this embodiment, each channel unit 31 and each light-transmitting portion 42 are rectangular. The light-shielding portion 41 corresponds to the boundary area between each channel unit 31, that is, the boundary area between each channel unit 31 (including...) Figure 2The dotted line (used to represent the boundary line between channel units 31) is projected onto the light-shielding structure 40 and located in the light-shielding part 41, so that the boundary area between each channel unit 31 is not subject to laser emission, which can effectively isolate the laser between each channel unit 31 and avoid optical signal crosstalk between adjacent channel units.

[0028] When detecting biological samples 2 in DMF chip 1, the DMF chip 1 is usually moved by a driving mechanism (not shown) so that the excitation light sequentially irradiates the biological samples 2 in each channel unit 31 and sequentially collects the laser light generated by each channel unit 31. The above process can be called scanning DMF chip 1.

[0029] To scan the DMF chip 1 along a preset trajectory, the starting position of the scan must first be determined. In this embodiment, a reflective portion 43 is provided in the light-shielding structure 40 to mark this starting position. The reflective portion 43 is located on one side of the light-transmitting portion array and is joined with the light-shielding portion 41. The reflective portion 43 reflects light across the entire wavelength range, and its reflectivity is significantly higher than that of the surrounding area. When excitation light is projected onto the reflective portion 43, it can be reflected by the reflective portion 43. When the device scanning the DMF chip 1 detects the reflected light, it can determine that it is at the starting position of the scan. The reflective portion 43 can be formed by forming a high-reflectivity coating on a light-transmitting material, or it can be formed directly using a material with high reflectivity.

[0030] Please see Figure 2 In this embodiment, if the concentration of the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 31 meets the standard, the intensity of the laser light it generates will have a significant difference from the intensity of the reflected light (usually higher than the reflected light). The device scanning the DMF chip 1 can identify whether the light is reflected or laser light by detecting the intensity of the acquired light signal, thereby determining the location of the reflective part 43, that is, determining the starting position. In at least one embodiment of this application, the reflectivity of the reflective part 43 is set such that the intensity of the reflected light is, for example, 30%-80% of the intensity of the laser light (including the endpoint value).

[0031] In this embodiment, the channel array is scanned row by row or column by column (that is, a row of channel units 31 is scanned sequentially along a straight line trajectory, and then the next row of channel units 31 is scanned sequentially along the straight line trajectory; or a column of channel units 31 is scanned sequentially along a straight line trajectory, and then the next column of channel units 31 is scanned sequentially along the straight line trajectory).

[0032] The light-shielding structure 40 includes a plurality of reflective portions 43 spaced apart, all located on one side of the light-transmitting portion array. When scanning the channel array row by row, the number of reflective portions 43 is the same as the number of rows in the light-transmitting portion array; that is, the reflective portions 43 correspond one-to-one with the rows in the light-transmitting portion array, and each reflective portion 43 is arranged sequentially at intervals along the column direction on the same side of the light-transmitting portion in each row. When scanning the channel array column by column, the number of reflective portions 43 is the same as the number of columns in the light-transmitting portion array; that is, the reflective portions 43 correspond one-to-one with the columns in the light-transmitting portion array, and each reflective portion 43 is arranged sequentially at intervals along the row direction on the same side of the light-transmitting portion in each column.

[0033] Each reflector 43 has a different reflectivity, so when excitation light is projected onto different reflectors 43, the intensity of the reflected light produced is also different. The different reflected light intensities can be used to determine which row or column of channel unit 31 is being scanned and where the starting position is. Furthermore, the reflected light produced by each reflector 43 is different from the intensity of the laser emitted by the biological sample 2, and can be distinguished from the emitted laser light.

[0034] In a modified embodiment of this example, the light-shielding part 41 is entirely made of a light-shielding material, while the light-transmitting part 42 is entirely made of a light-transmitting material or is a hollowed-out area. That is, in this modified embodiment, the light-shielding effect is not achieved by anodizing the surface of the light-transmitting material, but by directly using a light-shielding material as the light-shielding part 41.

[0035] Please see Figure 3 In another modified embodiment of this example, the light-shielding structure 40 is entirely a plating layer formed on the surface of the first substrate 11 away from the second substrate 20. In this modified embodiment, the light-shielding structure 40 is entirely a light-shielding material formed on the surface of the first substrate 11 in the region corresponding to the junction of each channel unit 31. That is, in this modified embodiment, the light-shielding structure 40 forms a plurality of spaced openings 44 to replace the light-transmitting portion 42, thereby allowing laser emission.

[0036] In this embodiment, the laser emitted from the DMF chip 1 is converted into a corresponding electrical signal after photoelectric conversion. By acquiring the electrical signals corresponding to the laser emitted from each channel unit 31, an image of the biomarker carrying the fluorescent dye in the biological sample 2 can be generated, thereby obtaining the content information of the biomarker. For example, when detecting the presence of a certain substance (which can capture a specific fluorescent group), if the substance is present, a fluorescent signal can be acquired; when detecting the content of a certain substance, the content of the substance can be determined by reading the intensity of the fluorescent signal.

[0037] In this embodiment, the DMF chip 1, by providing a light-shielding structure 40 including a light-shielding part 41, effectively isolates the laser emitted by the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 31 from the boundary area between each channel unit 31, avoiding crosstalk between adjacent channel units 31 and thus improving the accuracy of detection information. Furthermore, the DMF chip 1 also includes multiple reflective parts 43, which can accurately identify the starting position of each row or column of channel units 31.

[0038] Example 2 Please see Figure 4 The optical detection system 3 of this embodiment includes a detection optical path 310, a chip stage 320, a light-shielding structure 330, a driving structure 340, and a control structure 350. The driving structure 340 is connected to both the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330, and the control structure 350 is connected to both the detection optical path 310 and the driving structure 340. The chip stage 320 is used to support the biochip 4. The detection optical path 310 is used to emit excitation light to scan the biological sample supported in the biochip 4 and to receive the laser light generated by the biological sample according to the excitation light. The control structure 350 is used to control the detection optical path 310 to emit excitation light, to control the detection optical path 310 to analyze the laser light signal, and to control the driving structure 340 to drive the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 to move synchronously during the excitation light scanning of the biochip 4.

[0039] In this embodiment, the light-shielding structure 330 is located between the detection optical path 310 and the chip stage 320. The light-shielding structure 330 is similar to the light-shielding structure 40 described in Embodiment 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The structure shown is basically the same, so I will not repeat it here.

[0040] In this embodiment, the biochip 4 is also a digital microfluidic chip. The main difference between it and the DMF chip 1 in Embodiment 1 is that the biochip 4 in this embodiment does not include the light-shielding structure 40. Please refer to... Figure 5 The biochip 4 has multiple channel units 410, each channel unit 410 being used to contain biological samples. The biological samples in each channel unit 410 are spaced apart from each other. The area containing the biological samples is defined as the qPCR detection area, and the area between each biological sample (i.e., the boundary area between each channel unit 410) is defined as the non-qPCR detection area.

[0041] Please refer to the following: Figure 4 and Figure 5In this embodiment, the light-shielding structure 330 includes a light-shielding portion 331 and a light-transmitting portion 332. When the biochip 4 is mounted on the chip stage 320, the light-shielding portion 331 corresponds to the boundary region between each channel unit 410 in the biochip 4, and the light-transmitting portion 332 corresponds one-to-one with each channel unit 410. That is, the orthographic projection of the boundary region between each channel unit 410 on the light-shielding structure 330 is located on the light-shielding portion 331, and the laser light generated by the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410 is transmitted from the light-transmitting portion 332 corresponding to that channel unit 410 into the detection optical path 310. In this way, the light-shielding portion 331 is used to isolate the laser light generated by the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410, avoiding crosstalk of fluorescence signals between adjacent qPCR detection areas.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the biochip 4 is mounted on the chip stage 320, the light-shielding structure 330 can directly contact the upper surface of the biochip 4 (the surface facing the detection optical path 310) or maintain a very small gap with the biochip 4. During the continuous scanning of the biochip 4 by the detection optical path 310, the driving structure 340 drives the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 to move synchronously along the preset scanning trajectory based on the preset scanning trajectory. This ensures that during the scanning process, the light-shielding part 331 corresponds to the boundary area between each channel unit 410 in the biochip 4, and the light-transmitting part 332 corresponds one-to-one with each channel unit 410. Therefore, during the scanning process, the light-shielding structure 330 can continuously isolate the laser emitted by the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410.

[0043] This embodiment also provides an optical detection method applied to the optical detection system 3 described above. Please refer to... Figure 6 The optical detection method in this embodiment includes: Step S1: Emit excitation light to the biological sample in the biochip; Step S2 involves illuminating the biological samples within each of the channel units with the excitation light, thereby causing the biological samples within each of the channel units to be exposed to laser light. Step S3: Receive the laser to analyze the biological sample.

[0044] It includes multiple fluorescence signal acquisition channels, each of which is used to independently acquire fluorescence signals of different wavelengths (i.e., different wavelengths of laser light). In this embodiment, the detection optical path 310 includes four fluorescence signal acquisition channels arranged side by side: a yellow fluorescence signal acquisition channel 311, a blue fluorescence signal acquisition channel 312, a green fluorescence signal acquisition channel 313, and a red fluorescence signal acquisition channel.

[0045] Each fluorescence signal acquisition channel may include optical components such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), LED filters, dichroic mirrors, photodiodes, and photodiode filters. The LEDs in each fluorescence signal acquisition channel emit excitation light of different wavelengths, the LED filters in each channel have different filtering bands, the photodiode filters in each channel have different filtering bands, and the photodiodes in each channel are used to sense fluorescence signals of different wavelengths.

[0046] In step S1, the control structure 350 controls the light-emitting diodes in one of the fluorescence signal acquisition channels (311, 312, 313, or 314) to emit excitation light onto the biological sample 2. In step S2, the control structure 350 controls the driving structure 340 to drive the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 to move synchronously, so that the excitation light sequentially scans the biological samples 2 in each channel unit 410. In step S3, the photodiodes in the fluorescence signal acquisition channel sequentially acquire the laser light emitted by the biological sample 2 to analyze the information of the fluorescent dye-carrying markers in the biological sample 2.

[0047] In at least one modified embodiment of this application, during step S2, the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 remain stationary, and the control structure 350 controls the driving structure 340 to drive the detection optical path 310 to move relative to the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 to achieve scanning. That is, in this application, the relative movement between the chip stage 320 and the detection optical path 310 is sufficient to allow the laser to irradiate different positions on the biochip 4.

[0048] In step S2, the driving structure 340 drives the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 to move synchronously, so that the excitation light scans the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410 row by row or column by column until the excitation light has traversed all the biological samples 2 in each channel unit 410. Then, another fluorescence signal acquisition channel is switched to emit excitation light of another wavelength to scan the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410. That is, in this embodiment, the four fluorescence signal acquisition channels emit excitation light of different wavelengths in sequence to scan the biological sample 2, and collect fluorescence signals of different wavelengths in sequence for analysis.

[0049] In at least one modified embodiment of this application, the detection optical path 310 can also be controlled to simultaneously emit excitation light of different wavelengths to simultaneously excite fluorescent dyes carried by different markers in the biological sample 2. In this modified embodiment, each acquisition channel of the detection optical path 310 is activated simultaneously to acquire fluorescence signals of different wavelengths.

[0050] In this embodiment, since the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410 is scanned row by row or column by column, a step of locating the starting position is included before the scanning step. The step of locating the starting position specifically includes: one of the fluorescence signal acquisition channels emits excitation light to the light-shielding structure 330 and receives reflected light reflected by the reflective part 333 of the light-shielding structure 330; the starting position of the scanning biochip 4 is determined based on the reflected light, where the intensity of the reflected light is lower than the intensity of the laser. Furthermore, since each row or column corresponds to a reflective part 333, the control structure 350 also determines which row or column of channel unit 410 the starting position is based on the intensity of the reflected light.

[0051] The optical detection system 3 of this embodiment includes a light-shielding structure 330, which includes a light-shielding part 331. The light-shielding part 331 corresponds to the boundary area between each channel unit 410 in the biochip 4. During the optical detection process, the chip stage 320 and the light-shielding structure 330 are synchronously displaced by the driving structure 340. The light-shielding structure 330 can continuously isolate the laser emitted by the biological sample 2 in each channel unit 410, avoid crosstalk of fluorescence signals between adjacent qPCR detection areas, and help improve the accuracy of detection information.

[0052] The control structure 350 of this application embodiment includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and when the processor reads the computer program, it controls the optical detection system to perform the steps of the optical detection method as described above.

[0053] The processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processor is the control center of the optical inspection equipment, connecting various parts of the entire optical inspection system via various interfaces and lines.

[0054] The memory is used to store the computer programs and / or modules. The processor implements various functions of the optical detection system by running or executing the computer programs and / or modules stored in the memory and by calling the data stored in the memory. The memory may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, application programs required for at least one function (such as sound playback function, image playback function, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as hard disk, memory, plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device.

[0055] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any appropriate changes and variations made to the above embodiments within the essential spirit and scope of this application fall within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

Claims

1. A digital microfluidic chip, characterized in that, include: First substrate; The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate to enclose and form a sample channel. The sample channel includes a plurality of channel units, each of which is used to contain a biological sample. as well as A light-shielding structure is located on the side of the first substrate away from the second substrate. The light-shielding structure includes a non-transparent light-shielding portion, and the orthographic projection of the boundary area between adjacent channel units onto the light-shielding structure is located on the light-shielding portion.

2. The digital microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light-shielding structure is a thin sheet and is fixedly disposed on the surface of the first substrate away from the second substrate; the light-shielding structure also includes a plurality of light-transmitting parts integrally formed with the light-shielding part, and the plurality of channel units correspond one-to-one with the plurality of light-transmitting parts; The orthographic projection of each channel unit onto the light-shielding structure is at least partially located on a corresponding light-transmitting portion, such that the laser emitted by the biological sample in each channel unit can be emitted from the corresponding light-transmitting portion of the channel unit.

3. The digital microfluidic chip as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The light-shielding structure includes a light-transmitting substrate and a light-shielding layer formed in a portion of the light-transmitting substrate. The light-shielding structure forms the light-shielding portion in the area of ​​the light-shielding layer and forms the plurality of light-transmitting portions in the remaining area; or the plurality of light-transmitting portions are formed of a light-transmitting material and the light-shielding portion is formed of a non-light-transmitting material.

4. The digital microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first substrate includes a light-transmitting first substrate, and the light-shielding structure is a light-shielding coating formed on a portion of the surface of the first substrate away from the second substrate.

5. The digital microfluidic chip as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The light-shielding structure also includes a reflective part for reflecting the received excitation light.

6. An optical detection system, characterized in that, include: The detection optical path is used to emit excitation light; A chip carrier is used to support a biochip, the biochip having multiple channel units, each channel unit being used to contain a biological sample, the biological sample being irradiated by the excitation light to generate laser light; A light-shielding structure is located between the detection optical path and the chip stage. The light-shielding structure includes a non-transparent light-shielding part, which is used to isolate the light emitted by the biological sample in each of the channel units from the laser. as well as A control structure is connected to the detection optical path and is used to control the detection optical path to emit the excitation light and analyze the biological sample according to the laser light.

7. The optical detection system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The light-shielding structure also includes a plurality of light-transmitting parts integrally formed with the light-shielding part. The plurality of channel units correspond one-to-one with the plurality of light-transmitting parts, so that the laser generated by the biological sample in each channel unit is transmitted from the light-transmitting part corresponding to the channel unit into the detection optical path. The control structure is also used to control the movement of the detection optical path or the chip stage, so that the detection optical path and the chip stage are relatively displaced. When the chip stage moves, the control structure is also used to control the light-shielding structure to move synchronously with the chip stage, so that when the biochip is carried on the chip stage, the orthogonal projection of the boundary area between adjacent channel units on the light-shielding structure remains located in the light-shielding part.

8. An optical detection method, characterized in that, The optical inspection system is used in an optical inspection system, which includes a chip stage and a light-shielding structure. The optical detection method includes: A biological sample that emits excitation light to a biochip, the biochip having multiple channel units; The excitation light is used to irradiate the biological samples in each of the channel units, so that the biological samples in each of the channel units are subjected to laser light. The biological sample is received by laser light to analyze it.

9. The optical detection method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Before the step of illuminating the biological sample within each of the channel units with the excitation light, the method further includes: An excitation light is emitted to the light-shielding structure and the reflected light reflected by the light-shielding structure is received. The starting position for scanning the biochip is determined based on the reflected light, wherein the intensity of the reflected light is lower than the intensity of the laser.

10. The optical detection method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The multiple channel units are arranged in an array consisting of multiple rows and columns; The step of emitting excitation light to the light-shielding structure and receiving reflected light from the light-shielding structure, and determining the starting position for scanning the biochip based on the reflected light, includes: An excitation light is emitted to the light-shielding structure and the reflected light reflected by the light-shielding structure is received. The starting position of scanning each row or column of channel units in the biochip is determined based on the intensity of the reflected light. The step of illuminating the biological sample within each of the channel units with the excitation light includes: The detection optical path or the chip stage is controlled to move so that the detection optical path and the chip stage are relatively displaced, thereby allowing the excitation light to scan each of the channel units row by row or column by column; when the chip stage is controlled to move, the light-shielding structure is also controlled to move synchronously with the chip stage.

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