Surface plasma resonance device

Abstract

A surface plasma resonance device comprises: a detection platform having a detection area and an optical element attached to the top surface of the detection area, the optical element having an incident light side and an output light side opposite to each other to receive incident light and provide an output light, wherein the bottom surface is substantially parallel to the incident light and the output light; a light source for generating the incident light; and a photodetector for receiving the output light; wherein the optical element has an incident light guiding structure and a reflected light guiding structure, the incident light guiding structure having a first mirror assembly to guide the incident light to an oblique incident path of the detection area, and the reflected light guiding structure having a second mirror assembly to guide a reflected light of the detection area to generate the output light; wherein the detection area has a slot and a detection module pluggable into the slot, the slot having a light-transmitting top surface, and the detection module having, from top to bottom, a prism, a surface plasma excitation layer, and a flow channel detection chip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to hapten detection technology, and in particular to a surface plasmon resonance device for detecting hapten concentration. Prior Art

[0002] A common molecular detection method is enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). However, the disadvantages of this method are that ELISA instruments are expensive, bulky, and cannot produce test results immediately on site.

[0003] Furthermore, when conducting molecular testing on-site for pollutants, such as pollutants in water sources, food, or foodstuffs, including hapten molecules such as pesticides, antibiotics, malachite green, preservatives, insecticides, and melamine, the currently commonly used rapid screening test strips suffer from low sensitivity and unquantifiable concentrations of the test substance.

[0004] Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can also be applied to molecular detection. However, in typical SPR-based detection instruments, the detection channel wafer is mounted above the optical and electromechanical components. In the event of careless operation, liquid sample could drip onto the optical and electromechanical components below the SPR, affecting sensing operations and even causing instrument malfunction.

[0005] To solve the above problems, this field urgently needs a novel molecular detection solution. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a surface plasmon resonance device that can use a modular optical element to make the overall structure of the surface plasmon resonance device compact, thereby facilitating the miniaturization and portability of the surface plasmon resonance device, thereby facilitating the operator to perform molecular detection of a microfluid to be tested.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface plasmon resonance device that can instantly generate molecular detection results of the microfluid to be tested.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface plasmon resonance device, which can prevent the modular optical element from being contaminated when the microfluid to be tested is introduced into the detection platform by arranging the modular optical element above the detection platform.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface plasmon resonance device that can facilitate an operator to replace the microfluid to be tested by arranging a replaceable detection module in the detection platform.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, a surface plasmon resonance device is proposed, comprising: a detection platform having a detection area and an optical element attached to the top surface of the detection area, the optical element having a light-input side and a light-output side opposite to each other for receiving incident light and providing output light; a light source for generating the incident light; and a light detector for receiving the output light. The optical element comprises an incident light guiding structure and a reflected light guiding structure integrated into a module. The incident light guiding structure has a first mirror assembly for guiding the incident light to an oblique incident path of the detection area, and the reflected light guiding structure has a second mirror assembly for guiding a reflected light from the detection area to generate the output light. The detection area has a slot and a detection module pluggable in the slot. The slot has a light-transmissive top surface. The detection module comprises, from top to bottom, a prism, a surface plasmon excitation layer, and a flow channel detection chip.

[0011] In one embodiment, the output light is substantially transmitted in the same direction as the incident light.

[0012] In one embodiment, the output light is substantially transmitted in the opposite direction relative to the incident light.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first mirror assembly includes a plane mirror and a curved mirror that are obliquely opposite to each other, or two plane mirrors that are obliquely opposite to each other.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second mirror assembly includes a plane mirror and a curved mirror that are obliquely opposite to each other, or two plane mirrors that are obliquely opposite to each other.

[0015] In one embodiment, the surface plasmon excitation layer includes a metal film, and the metal film may include at least one film selected from the group consisting of a gold film, a silver film, an aluminum film, and a copper film.

[0016] In one embodiment, an anti-oxidation film is further formed on the surface of the metal film.

[0017] In one embodiment, the surface plasmon resonance device further includes a processor. During operation, the detection module is installed in the detection area, and the flow channel detection chip contains a microfluid to be measured. The processor obtains a signal parameter of the reflected light from the light detector and performs a conversion operation based on the signal parameter to determine at least one physical / chemical property value of at least one molecule in the microfluid to be measured. The conversion operation is a table lookup operation.

[0018] In one embodiment, the surface plasmon resonance device further comprises a processor, which obtains a signal parameter of the reflected light from the light detector and performs a conversion operation based on the signal parameter to determine the hapten concentration, wherein the conversion operation is a table lookup operation.

[0019] In a possible embodiment, the at least one molecule can be selected from the group consisting of proteins, small molecules, nucleic acids, bioactive molecules, intact cells, viral particles and bacteria.

[0020] In a possible embodiment, the at least one physicochemical property value may include the concentration of one of the at least one molecule and / or the association rate constant (Ka) or dissociation rate constant (Kd) between two of the at least one molecule.

[0021] In a possible embodiment, the signal parameter may be a light intensity parameter, a light phase parameter, a resonance angle parameter, a resonance wavelength parameter, or an interference pattern parameter.

[0022] In order to enable you, the review committee, to further understand the structure, features, objectives, and advantages of the present invention, the following are attached with drawings and detailed descriptions of preferred embodiments. Simple diagram description

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an optical element of the surface plasmon resonance device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the optical element of the surface plasmon resonance device of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the optical element of the surface plasmon resonance device of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a reflective light guiding structure of the optical element of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the reflective light guiding structure of the optical element of Figure 5. Implementation Method

[0024] 1, which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a surface plasmon resonance device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG1, a surface plasmon resonance device 100 includes a detection platform 110, a light source 120, a light detector 130, and a processor 140 for performing a molecular detection process.

[0025] The inspection platform 110 has an inspection area 111 and an optical element 112 attached to the top surface 111a of the inspection area 111. The optical element 112 has a light-input side and a light-output side that are opposite to each other and are configured to receive incident light LIN and provide output light LOUT. In this embodiment, the output light LOUT is transmitted in a substantially co-directional manner relative to the incident light LIN.

[0026] The light source 120 is used to generate incident light LIN; the light detector 130 is used to receive output light LOUT.

[0027] Specifically, the optical element 112 comprises an incident light guiding structure and a reflected light guiding structure integrated into a single module. The incident light guiding structure comprises a first mirror assembly to guide the incident light LIN along an oblique incident path toward the detection region 111, while the reflected light guiding structure comprises a second mirror assembly to guide the reflected light LR from the detection region 111 to generate the output light LOUT. It is worth noting that integrating the incident light guiding structure, the reflective portion, and the reflected light guiding structure into a single module allows the optical element 112 to have a compact structure, thereby facilitating the miniaturization and portability of the surface plasmon resonance device.

[0028] The inspection area 111 has a slot S and an inspection module that can be plugged into the slot S. The slot S has a transparent top surface. The inspection module comprises, from top to bottom, a prism 111b, a surface plasmon excitation layer 111c, and a flow channel inspection chip 111d. The surface plasmon excitation layer 111c may comprise a metal film, and the metal film may comprise one or more layers selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, aluminum, and copper films. In other words, the metal film may be a single layer or a multilayer metal film, and the multilayer metal film may be composed of different metal films from the group. Furthermore, an anti-oxidation film may be formed on the surface of the metal film to prevent oxidation. It is worth noting that the prism 111b has an inclined surface on each side that is orthogonal to the incident light LIN and the output light LOUT, respectively, to prevent the incident light LIN from changing its angle of incidence on the metal film due to refraction. 1 , although the top surface of the prism 111 b is depicted as being in close contact with the top surface 111 a of the detection zone 111 , the present invention is not limited thereto. The top surface of the prism 111 b may also be higher or lower than the top surface 111 a of the detection zone 111 .

[0029] Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the optical element 112 of the surface plasmon resonance device 100 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 , the first mirror assembly of the optical element 112 includes two obliquely opposed plane mirrors 112a1 and 112b1, and the second mirror assembly includes two obliquely opposed plane mirrors 112c1 and 112d1, so that the output light LOUT is transmitted in a substantially co-directional manner with the incident light LIN.

[0030] Alternatively, the first and second mirror assemblies can be implemented by a flat mirror and a curved mirror positioned obliquely opposite each other. Please refer to FIG3 , which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the optical element 112 of the surface plasmon resonance device 100 of FIG1 . As shown in FIG3 , the first mirror assembly of the optical element 112 comprises a flat mirror 112a2 and a curved mirror 112b2 positioned obliquely opposite each other, and the second mirror assembly comprises a flat mirror 112c2 and a curved mirror 112d2 positioned obliquely opposite each other. In this embodiment, the curved mirrors 112b2 and 112d2 provide fine-tuning of the optical path angle.

[0031] Specifically, the molecular detection process includes: (1) inserting a detection module carrying a microfluid to be detected into the detection area 111; (2) driving the light source 120 to generate incident light LIN; (3) driving the light detector 130 to receive the output light LOUT to obtain a signal parameter of the reflected light LR, which may be a light intensity parameter, a light phase parameter, a resonance angle parameter, a resonance wavelength parameter, or an interference pattern parameter; and (4) the processor 140 obtains the signal parameter from the light detector 130 and performs a conversion operation based on the signal parameter to determine at least one physical / chemical property value of at least one molecule in the microfluid to be detected, wherein the conversion operation is a table lookup operation, and the lookup table required for the table lookup operation is pre-stored in a memory; the at least one molecule can be selected from the group consisting of proteins, small molecules, nucleic acids, bioactive molecules, intact cells, viral particles, and bacteria; and the at least one physical / chemical property value can include the concentration of one of the at least one molecule and / or the association rate constant (Ka) or dissociation rate constant (Kd) between two of the at least one molecules.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, a surface plasmon resonance device 200 includes a detection platform 210, a light source 220, a light detector 230, and a processor 240 for performing a molecule detection process.

[0033] The inspection platform 210 has an inspection area 211 and an optical element 212 attached to a top surface 211a of the inspection area 211. The optical element 212 has a light-input side and a light-output side that are opposite to each other and are configured to receive incident light LIN and provide output light LOUT. In this embodiment, the output light LOUT is transmitted in a substantially opposite direction relative to the incident light LIN.

[0034] The light source 220 is used to generate incident light LIN; the light detector 230 is located on the same side of the light source 220 to receive the output light LOUT.

[0035] The inspection area 211 includes a slot S and an inspection module that is pluggable into the slot S. The slot S has a transparent top surface. From top to bottom, the inspection module comprises a prism 211b, a surface plasmon excitation layer 211c, and a flow channel inspection chip 211d. The surface plasmon excitation layer 211c may comprise a metal film, and the metal film may comprise one or more layers selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, aluminum, and copper films. In other words, the metal film may be a single layer or multiple layers, and the multiple layers may be composed of different metal films from the group. Furthermore, an anti-oxidation film may be formed on the surface of the metal film to prevent oxidation. Notably, the prism 211b has an inclined surface on each side that is orthogonal to the incident light LIN and the output light LOUT, respectively, to prevent refraction of the incident light LIN from altering its angle of incidence on the metal film.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the optical element 212 of the surface plasmon resonance device 200 of Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, the optical element 212 comprises an incident light guiding structure 2121 and a reflected light guiding structure 2122, integrated into a single module. The incident light guiding structure 2121 has a first mirror assembly to guide the incident light LIN along an oblique incident path toward the detection region 211. The reflected light guiding structure 2122 has a second mirror assembly to redirect the reflected light LR from the detection region 211, generating output light LOUT that is substantially opposite to the incident light LIN. It is worth noting that integrating the incident light guiding structure 2121 and the reflected light guiding structure 2122 into a single module allows the optical element 212 to have a compact structure, thereby facilitating the miniaturization and portability of the surface plasmon resonance device.

[0037] 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams illustrating two embodiments of the reflective light guiding structure 2122 of the optical element 212 of FIG5 . As shown in FIG6 , the reflective light guiding structure 2122 includes two obliquely opposed plane mirrors 2122a1 and 2122b1 ; and as shown in FIG7 , the reflective light guiding structure 2122 includes a obliquely opposed plane mirror 2122a2 and a curved mirror 2122b2 .

[0038] According to the above-mentioned design, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. The surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention can make the overall structure of the surface plasmon resonance device compact by using a modular optical element, which is conducive to the miniaturization and portability of the surface plasmon resonance device, thereby facilitating the operator to perform molecular detection of a microfluid to be tested; 2. The surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention can instantly generate molecular detection results of the microfluid to be tested; 3. The surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention can prevent contamination of the modular optical element when the microfluid to be tested is introduced into the detection platform by arranging the modular optical element above the detection platform; and 4. The surface plasmon resonance device of the present invention can facilitate the operator to replace the microfluid to be tested by arranging a removable detection module in the detection platform.

[0039] The present invention discloses a preferred embodiment. Any partial changes or modifications that are based on the technical concept of the present invention and are easily inferred by a person skilled in the art are within the scope of the patent rights of the present invention.

[0040] In summary, this case demonstrates significant differences from conventional technology in terms of purpose, means, and effectiveness. Furthermore, its invention is practical and indeed meets the patent requirements for inventions. We sincerely request that the Examining Committee examine this matter and grant a patent as soon as possible to benefit society. This is our utmost prayer.

[0041] 100: Surface plasmon resonance device

[0042] 110: Detection Platform

[0043] 111: Detection Area

[0044] 111a: Top surface

[0045] 111b: Prism

[0046] 111c: Surface plasmon excitation layer

[0047] 111d: Flow channel detection chip

[0048] 112: Optical components

[0049] 112a1: Plane mirror

[0050] 112b1: Plane mirror

[0051] 112c1: Plane mirror

[0052] 112d1: plane mirror

[0053] 112a2: Plane mirror

[0054] 112b2:Curved Mirror

[0055] 112c2: Plane mirror

[0056] 112d2: curved mirror

[0057] 120: Light source

[0058] 130: Light Detector

[0059] 140: Processor

[0060] 200:Surface plasmon resonance device

[0061] 210: Detection Platform

[0062] 211: Detection area

[0063] 211a: Top surface

[0064] 211b: Prism

[0065] 211c: Surface plasmon excitation layer

[0066] 211d: Flow channel detection chip

[0067] 212: Optical components

[0068] 2121: Incident light guiding structure

[0069] 2122: Reflective light guiding structure

[0070] 2122a1: Plane mirror

[0071] 2122b1: Plane mirror

[0072] 2122a2: Plane mirror

[0073] 2122b2:Curved mirror

[0074] 220: Light Source

[0075] 230: Light Detector

[0076] 240: Processor

[0077] S: slot

Claims

1. A surface plasmon resonance device comprising: a detection platform having a detection area and an optical element attached to a top surface of the detection area, the optical element having a light-incident side and a light-outcending side opposite to each other for receiving incident light and providing output light; a light source for generating the incident light; and a light detector for receiving the output light; wherein: The optical element has an incident light guiding structure and a reflected light guiding structure integrated in a module, the incident light guiding structure has a first mirror combination to guide the incident light to an oblique incident path of the detection area, and the reflected light guiding structure has a second mirror combination to guide a reflected light of the detection area to generate the output light; wherein, the detection area has a slot and a detection module that can be plugged into the slot, the slot has a transparent top surface, and the detection module has a prism, a surface plasma excitation layer and a flow channel detection chip from top to bottom.

2. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 1, wherein: The output light is substantially transmitted in the same direction or in the opposite direction relative to the incident light.

3. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 1, wherein: The first mirror assembly includes a plane mirror and a curved mirror that are obliquely opposite to each other or two plane mirrors that are obliquely opposite to each other.

4. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 1, wherein: The second mirror assembly includes a plane mirror and a curved mirror that are obliquely opposite to each other, or two plane mirrors that are obliquely opposite to each other.

5. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 1, wherein: The surface plasmon excitation layer includes a metal film, and the metal film includes at least one film selected from the group consisting of a gold film, a silver film, an aluminum film and a copper film.

6. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 5, wherein: An anti-oxidation film is further formed on the surface of the metal film.

7. The surface plasmon resonance device of claim 1, further comprising a processor. During operation, the detection module is installed in the detection area, and the flow channel detection chip contains a microfluid to be detected. The processor obtains a signal parameter of the reflected light from the light detector and performs a conversion operation based on the signal parameter to determine at least one physical / chemical property value of at least one molecule in the microfluid to be detected, wherein: The conversion operation is a table lookup operation.

8. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one molecule is selected from the group consisting of proteins, small molecules, nucleic acids, bioactive molecules, intact cells, viral particles, and bacteria.

9. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one physicochemical property value comprises a concentration of one of the at least one molecule and / or an association rate constant (Ka) or a dissociation rate constant (Kd) between two of the at least one molecule.

10. The surface plasmon resonance device according to claim 7, wherein: The signal parameter is a parameter selected from the group consisting of a light intensity parameter, a light phase parameter, a resonance angle parameter, a resonance wavelength parameter and an interference pattern parameter.

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