Integrated Sample Well Structure for Low-Volume Luminescence Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nucleic acid sequencing methods require large, expensive laboratory equipment and trained personnel, and bioassays often necessitate bulk sample quantities, limiting accessibility and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
Development of integrated sensor devices with miniaturized sample wells and sensors that utilize pulsed excitation sources to detect luminescent markers, reducing the need for bulky optical filters and enabling compact, cost-effective bioassays that can be performed with disposable devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional bioassay equipment is used, then detection accuracy is maintained, but device size and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bioassay system into a disposable integrated device portion (containing sample well, sensors, and optical components) and a reusable instrument portion. This segmentation allows the complex optical detection system to be miniaturized and integrated onto a disposable chip, reducing the size of equipment required at the point of use while maintaining detection accuracy through precise optical path design and sensor integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by integrating multiple functional components (sample well, luminescent markers, optical filters, and photodetectors) into a hierarchical structure where smaller components are embedded within larger ones. The optical filters are integrated directly into the sample well structure, and sensors are positioned in close proximity, creating a compact nested arrangement that maintains functionality while minimizing device footprint.
2Measurement precision
If conventional luminescent detection optics are used, then luminescence detection capability is maintained, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple optical functions into a single integrated structure. The optical filters are combined with the sample well walls, creating a unified component that serves both as a reaction chamber and an optical filter. The excitation light source and emission detection path are integrated into a single optical circuit board assembly, eliminating the need for separate bulky optical systems and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional three-dimensional bulky optical systems to a two-dimensional planar integration approach. Optical filters, waveguides, and detectors are arranged in a flattened configuration on a substrate, allowing complex optical functionality to be achieved in a thin-profile device that is easier to manufacture and integrate while maintaining detection capability.
3Reliability
If bulk sample quantities are used, then detection reliability is maintained, but sample consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating a highly concentrated interaction zone within the sample well where excitation light, luminescent markers, and detectors are positioned in close proximity. This localized enhancement of optical interaction efficiency allows reliable detection with minimal sample volume, as the detection sensitivity is maximized in the specific region where the bioassay reaction occurs rather than requiring bulk sample analysis.
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 cost-effective, portable bioassays that can be performed anywhere, including developing regions, allowing for rapid and accessible biological sample analysis with reduced equipment costs and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
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, and the luminescent light is detected with a photodetector to quantify the amount of luminescent light emitted by the markers.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of forming an integrated device, and in particular forming one or more sample wells in an integrated device, are described. The methods may involve forming a metal stack over a cladding layer, forming an aperture in the metal stack, forming first spacer material within the aperture, and forming a sample well by removing some of the cladding layer to extend a depth of the aperture into the cladding layer. In the resulting sample well, at least one portion of the first spacer material is in contact with at least one layer of the metal stack.