Integrated Bioassay Sensor With Grating-Coupled Waveguides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bioassays require large, expensive laboratory equipment and trained personnel, and are typically performed in bulk, necessitating significant sample quantities, which limits accessibility and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
An integrated device with a pixelated sensor array and optical waveguides for parallel analysis of biological samples, utilizing luminescent markers to identify individual molecules or particles, enabling compact, high-speed, and cost-effective detection and quantitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional bioassays are performed using large laboratory equipment, then detection and analysis capability is achieved, but device size and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple bioassay functions (sample processing, optical excitation, luminescence detection, and signal processing) into a single integrated device. The device integrates a light source, optical path, sample chamber, photodetector, and processing unit into one compact system, eliminating the need for separate laboratory equipment while maintaining detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the sample chamber is positioned within the optical path, which is itself integrated within the housing. The photodetector is arranged to receive light through the sample chamber, creating a compact nested arrangement that reduces overall device size while preserving functional capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If conventional bioassays are performed in bulk, then detection is achieved, but sample quantity requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sample analysis into individual processing units within the device. The sample chamber is designed to process samples in discrete amounts, and the device can perform multiple measurements sequentially or in parallel with different sample volumes, reducing the total sample quantity needed compared to bulk processing methods.
3Measurement precision
If luminescent markers are used to tag samples, then molecular identification is enabled, but detection system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary optical components from the detection system. By using luminescent markers that emit light at specific wavelengths, the device can use simpler optical filters and detectors rather than complex spectroscopic systems, reducing overall detection system complexity while maintaining molecular identification capability.
4Measurement precision
If expensive laser light sources are used to illuminate samples, then luminescence excitation is achieved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, long-lived laser light sources with more economical light sources such as LEDs or fluorescent lamps that have shorter operational lifetimes but sufficient durability for the device's intended use. This substitution significantly reduces device cost while maintaining the capability to excite luminescent markers effectively.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates low-cost, portable bioassays that can perform quantitative analysis of single molecules or particles, reducing the need for specialized laboratories and enabling widespread access to diagnostic tests.
Implementation Method 1
an integrated photodiode, the device comprising a plurality of chambers and a plurality of optical waveguides configured to couple excitation energy to the chambers
Implementation Method 2
Some bioassays are performed by tagging samples with luminescent markers that emit light of a particular wavelength. The markers are illuminated with a light source to cause luminescence
Implementation Method 3
the luminescent light is detected with a photodetector to quantify the amount of luminescent light emitted by the markers
Implementation Method 4
a grating coupler configured to couple the excitation energy to the waveguides on the bio-optoelectronic chip
Data Source
Figure 1-1
Figure 1-2A
Figure 1-2B~1-2C
AI summary
An integrated device (1-102) comprising: a plurality of sample wells (1-108); a first optical waveguide (1-312) configured to couple excitation energy to a first portion of the plurality of sample wells; a second optical waveguide (1-312) configured to couple the excitation energy to a second portion of the plurality of sample wells; and a grating coupler (1-216) configured to receive the excitation energy from an optical source positioned outside the integrated device, and to couple the excitation energy to the first optical waveguide and to the second optical waveguide.