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Nanohole Array Based Sensors with Various Coating and Temperature Control
Patent Number: 11,035,792
Problem
patent description
The invention is a nanoscale interface assembly which intimately connects a (gas-phase) chemical separation component with a nanoscale photonic (ONA) detector component. Both components have the potential to perform their function very quickly. When these functions are realized and assembled in the close proximity proposed (intimate contact), a novel system is produced for very fast and selective gas sensing (when used with appropriate spectroscopic instrumentation). To our
knowledge such an approach for coupling of chemical-dependent transport and photonic detection at the critical transduction interface has not previously been reported/demonstrated for very rapid sensing of varied gas-phase molecular species.
Invention
This invention combines very fast chemical separation with very fast photonic detection to achieve gas-phase monitoring for use in a range of applications, including medical breath analysis. Appropriately "matched" timescales are needed so that fast chemical discrimination, related to slightly differing collection/transport times for target molecules in/through a thin overlayer, can be recorded at a detecting (in this case optical nanoantenna - ONA) surface that is in proximal/direct contact with the separating film. This coupled, nanoscale interface can offer a means for fast (potentially~ 10 μs to 1 ms) sensing of molecular species.
Features
The commercially valuable aspect is connected to the speed of the selective sensing that is possible. Many applications requiring rapid (near-real-time) monitoring, such as rapid screening or analytical feedback for process control, would benefit from such technology.