Plasmonic Sample Holder for Stain-Free Structure Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical microscopy techniques rely on staining or labeling to achieve intensity contrast, which can obscure details and require two-dimensional projections of sample thickness, making it difficult to discern structures within transparent samples.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a sample holder with a plasmonic layer featuring a periodic array of sub-micron structures to induce color contrast based on local dielectric constants, allowing structures to be visually distinguished through color differentiation without staining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional optical microscopy with staining is used, then intensity contrast is achieved, but sample details are obscured and thick slices are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color contrast microscopy by introducing a plasmonic layer with periodic sub-micron structures that interact with light to produce color contrast based on local dielectric constants. Different structures in the sample appear in different colors, enabling detailed visualization without staining that would obscure natural sample properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the optical parameter from intensity-based contrast to color-based contrast by utilizing the plasmonic layer's interaction with light. This parameter change allows thin sample slices to exhibit sufficient contrast through color differentiation rather than intensity variation, preserving sample details while reducing the need for thick sections.
2Length of moving object
If thin sample slices are used, then less staining is needed, but sufficient contrast is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The plasmonic layer converts the contrast mechanism from intensity-based to color-based, allowing thin sample slices to display sufficient contrast. The color contrast arises from the interaction between light and the plasmonic structures, which is sensitive to local dielectric constant variations in the sample, providing enhanced visualization without requiring thick sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/staining-based contrast generation system with an optical-plasmonic system. Instead of relying on physical staining of thick sections, the invention uses light-matter interaction at the plasmonic layer to generate contrast, effectively substituting a chemical/mechanical approach with an optical field-based approach.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional microscopy without staining is used, then sample preparation is simpler, but structure detection is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces color contrast through the plasmonic layer, which interacts with light to produce color variations corresponding to different local dielectric constants in the sample. This enables structure detection in unstained samples by converting subtle refractive index differences into visible color contrasts, maintaining simple sample preparation while dramatically improving detectability.
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
Enhances the ability to identify structures in biological samples by providing sharper, qualitative images with color contrast, enabling rapid detection of structures smaller than conventional microscopy, and reducing the need for staining or labeling.
Implementation Method 1
the upper surface having a plasmonic layer associated therewith, the plasmonic layer including a periodic array of sub-micron structures
Implementation Method 2
at least one localised structural property of the sample is visible in the image based on the colour of the received light
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes providing a sample holder having a plasmonic layer and applying the sample to the sample holder. The sample is illuminated and an image formed. The method enables identifying a structure in the sample from the image based at least partly on its colour. The colour can encode a structural property of the sample, preferably without staining. The method can be used to differentiate a state of at least one cell in a sample. Application to identification of cancer and non-cancer abnormalities are disclosed.