Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090032730 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTICALLY DRIVEN SEPARATIONS USING FLUID FILLED CORE OPTICAL FIBERS - An optical chromatography system employs fluid filled hollow core fibers, such as photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), which confine an incident optical beam from a laser, for example, in the core and cause separation of particles in the fluid along the length of the PCF. The incident optical beam is confined in the fluid filled core of the PCF by a periodic lattice of air capillaries surrounding the core. The lattice either creates a lower refractive index in the cladding than in the fluid filled core or creates a ID photonic bandgap structure where the guiding is accomplished by surrounding the fluid filled core with a periodically changing array of dielectric constant which prohibits radial dilution of the optical energy over a range of wavelengths through photonic bandgap effects. | 02-05-2009 |
20110039730 | NANOSCALE OPTOFLUIDIC DEVICES FOR MOLECULAR DETECTION - An optofluidic architecture for label free, highly parallel, detection of molecular interactions is based on the use of optically resonant devices whose resonant wavelength is shifted due to a local change in refractive index caused by a positive binding event between a surface bound molecule and its solution phase target. These devices have an extremely low limit of detection and are compatible with aqueous environments. The device combines the sensitivity (limit of detection) of nanosensor technology with the parallelity of the microarray type format. | 02-17-2011 |
20110294691 | ENHANCED ON-CHIP SERS BASED BIOMOLECULAR DETECTION USING ELECTROKINETICALLY ACTIVE MICROWELLS - A method for detecting target nucleic acids such as SNPs is provided. The method comprises performing a ligase detection reaction (LDR), performing surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on the LDR, and analyzing the outcome of the LDR using analysis and/or quantification of the SERS by detecting an emitted Raman signature. The LDR-SERS method can be used for sensitive and specific detection of any nucleic acid sequence of interest. A microfluidic SERS detection device is also provided. The device comprises electrokinetically active microwells for mixing and concentrating analytes and in which analytes can be quantified. The device can be used for performing the LDR-SERS method in optofluidic chip format. | 12-01-2011 |
20120033915 | OPTICAL FORCE BASED BIOMOLECULAR ANALYSIS IN SLOT WAVEGUIDES - An architecture for the handling and transport of nanoscopic matter in lab on a chip devices using optical forces. A slot waveguide is used to focus and harness optical energy to trap and transport nanoscale objects. The slot waveguide is a unique structure that has several advantageous features, such as high optical confinement, and enables nanoparticles to interact fully with a propagating optical mode. | 02-09-2012 |
20120196376 | NANOFILTER DEVICES USING ELASTOMERIC MICRO TO NANOCHANNEL INTERFACES AND METHODS BASED THEREON - A method is provided for fabricating a nanochannel. The method comprises providing a microchannel and controlling collapse of the microchannel so that it collapses to form a nanochannel of desired dimensions. The method employs a collapsible, flexible material such as the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form the nanochannel. A master is provided that is configured to have geometric conditions that promote a desired frequency of microchannel collapse. A collapsible material having a stiffness that also promotes a desired frequency of microchannel collapse is molded on the master. The molded collapsible material is removed from the master and bonded to a base, thereby forming the microchannel, which then collapses (or is collapsed) to form the nanochannel of desired dimensions. Nanofluidic and microfluidic devices comprising complex nanochannel structures and micro to nanochannel transitions are also provided. | 08-02-2012 |
20120269481 | OPTOFLUIDIC APPARATUS, METHOD, AND APPLICATION - A reconfigurable optofluidic apparatus includes a microfluidic chip including a microfluidic channel further including an inlet for a liquid core waveguide fluid; a channel pathway for the liquid core waveguide fluid; a plurality of non-core waveguide fluid inlets; a switching chamber having a larger cross sectional area than the channel pathway; and an outlet for the liquid core waveguide fluid and non-core waveguide fluid, further including a plurality of non-liquid core waveguides disposed in the switching chamber. Light input to the apparatus propagates in the liquid core/liquid cladding (liquid) waveguide. The path of the liquid waveguide can be steered in a region of the apparatus over one of the non-liquid core waveguides such that the light is end-fire- or evanescently-coupled into the non-liquid core waveguide and output therefrom or between two of the non-liquid core waveguides and not coupled or output. Associated optofluidic switching methods are disclosed. | 10-25-2012 |
20130050695 | SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING (SERS) APPARATUS, METHODS AND APPLICATIONS - Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates may be fabricated using a shadow mask assisted evaporation (SMAE) method to provide for enhanced detection sensitivity with respect to target molecules that are located upon, and sensitized by, the SERS enhanced substrates. Such SERS substrates provide a two dimensional array of repeating nanostructures that may include, but are not limited to nano-pillar, nano-nib, nano-elliptical cylinder and nano-triangular tip nanostructures, any of which may be augmented with gold nanospheres. The particular SERS enhanced substrates in accordance with the embodiments, in particular when augmented with gold nanospheres, provide desirably enhanced sensitivity. | 02-28-2013 |
20130182995 | OPTICAL TRAPPING APPARATUS, METHODS AND APPLICATIONS USING PHOTONIC CRYSTAL RESONATORS - A plurality of photonic crystal resonator optical trapping apparatuses and a plurality optical trapping methods using the plurality of photonic crystal resonator optical trapping apparatuses include located and formed over a substrate a photonic waveguide that is coupled (i.e., either separately coupled or integrally coupled) with a photonic crystal resonator. In a particular embodiment, the photonic waveguide and the photonic crystal resonator comprise a monocrystalline silicon (or other) photonic material absent any chemical functionalization. In another particular embodiment, the photonic waveguide and the photonic crystal resonator comprise a silicon nitride material which when actuating the photonic crystal resonator optical trapping apparatus with a 1064 nanometer resonant photonic radiation wavelength (or other resonant photonic radiation wavelength in a range from about 700 to about 1200 nanometers) provides no appreciable heating of an aqueous sample fluid that is analyzed by the photonic crystal resonator optical trapping apparatus. | 07-18-2013 |
20130302869 | OPTOFLUIDIC PHOTOBIOREACTOR APPARATUS, METHOD, AND APPLICATIONS - An optofluidic photobioreactor including an optical waveguide having an input, characterized by an evanescent optical field confined along an outer surface of the optical waveguide produced by radiation propagating in the optical waveguide, means for inputting light to the input of the optical waveguide, and a selected photosynthetic microorganism disposed substantially within the evanescent field. A method for optically exciting a photosynthetic microorganism for generating a biofuel, a biofuel precursor, or a biomass from the optically-excited photosynthetic microorganism involves irradiating the photosynthetic microorganism attached to the surface of the waveguide with an evanescent optical field from optical radiation propagating in the optical waveguide, and driving photosynthesis in the microorganism by the evanescent optical field. | 11-14-2013 |
20150038361 | APPARATUS, METHODS, AND APPLICATIONS FOR POINT OF CARE MULTIPLEXED DIAGNOSTICS - Methods and systems for colorimetric detection of a target. Nucleic acid is obtained from a sample potentially containing two pathogens of interest, and is contacted with a plurality of nanoparticles. A first portion of the plurality of nanoparticles are functionalized with oligonucleotides complementary to a first region of the first target and oligonucleotides complementary to a second region of the first target, and a second portion of the plurality of nanoparticles are functionalized with oligonucleotides complementary to a first region of the second target and oligonucleotides complementary to a second region of the second target. The presence of the target nucleic acid causes a detectable colorimetric change, thereby diagnosing the presence of the pathogen. | 02-05-2015 |