Hewlett-packard Company

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Karsten G Kraiczek

Bertram Beigel

Timothy Beerling

Kevin P Killeen

Reid Alyn Brennen

Bernhard Dehmer

Raymond Vuilleumier

Beno Mueller

Uwe Effelsberg

Jochen Mueller

John Mannion

Detlev Hadbawnik

Axel Wiese

Daniell Malsch

Christoph Keppler

A flow cell, for detecting a fluidic sample separated by a sample separation apparatus, includes a cuvette, a flow channel formed at least partially in the cuvette and configured to enable a flow of the separated fluidic sample through the flow channel, an electromagnetic radiation inlet at which an excitation electromagnetic radiation beam is couplable into the cuvette, and an electromagnetic radiation outlet at which an emission electromagnetic radiation beam, generated by an interaction between the excitation electromagnetic radiation beam and the separated fluidic sample, is couplable out of the cuvette. A geometry of the cuvette is configured so that at least one point at the excitation backside surface of the cuvette is outside of a direct field of view of the electromagnetic radiation outlet.

Flow cell for sample separation apparatus with protection against electromagnetic stray radiation

A micromachined flow cell includes a substrate and a freestanding tube, delimiting a fluidic conduit therein and being integrally formed from material of the substrate.

Micromachined flow cell with freestanding fluidic tube

In some embodiments of the present invention, the buried silicon oxide technology is employed in the fabrication of fluid channels, particularly nanochannels. For example, a fluid channel can be made in a buried silicon oxide layer by etching the buried oxide layer with a method that selectively removes silicon oxide but not silicon. Thus, one dimension of the resulting fluid channel is limited by the thickness of the buried oxide layer. It is possible to manufacture a very thin buried oxide layer with great precision, thus a nanochannel can be fabricated in a controlled manner. Moreover, in addition to buried oxide, any pairs of substances with a high etch ratio with respect to each other can be used in the same way. Further provided are the fluid channels, apparatuses, devices and systems comprising the fluid channels, and uses thereof.

Microfluidic apparatuses with nanochannels

A coupling for bringing a first conduit in communication with a second conduit. Each of the conduits comprises an end to be coupled and each of the conduits is adapted for conducting a medium. The coupling has a housing and at least one aperture in said housing. The housing is adapted for introducing said first and second conduits into the housing. Furthermore, the coupling comprises a recess in the housing. The recess is adapted for partly receiving the ends of the first and second conduits. The coupling has a seal adapted for sealing the first and second conduits within the recess.

Coupling for conduits sealed in a recess of a housing

A beam splitter has a support frame made of silicon that has a membrane inside made of silicon. The membrane has in particular openings with bridges formed between them. On the side of membrane facing the incident beam is an aluminum coating to increase the reflectability or degree of reflection of the membrane. An incident beam bundle contacts the beam splitter at angle of incidence &phgr;. A portion of the incident beam is reflected off the bridges, and the remaining portion of the beam freely passes through the openings. The beam is correspondingly divided into a reflective portion and transmitted portion.

Optical beam splitter that can be manufactured by micromechanical means

A method and apparatus for mounting an optical sensor in an optical instrument. The optical sensor is attached to a rigid substrate. The substrate has two locator holes, with the sensor mounted between the holes. Rigid locator pins attached to the housing of the instrument protrude into the locator holes. A spring pushing against the substrate forces the locator holes against corresponding locator pins, aligning the substrate within a plane. In a first embodiment, the holes are positioned so that the optical sensor is rigidly held at its midpoint, minimizing dimensional deviations along the length of the sensor with temperature change. The sensor assembly is easily removable and the mounting apparatus does not mechanically stress the substrate or the sensor with temperature changes. The mounting apparatus is easily manufactured, allows precise alignment, and is inexpensive.

Method and apparatus for temperature compensated optical sensor mounting

A diode array spectrophotometer has an entrance slit apparatus, a diffraction grating, a diode array and a casing to define the relative positions of these elements. The casing and the holder for accepting the diffraction grating are made of a ceramic whose coefficient of thermal expansion is adapted to that of the diode array. The grating holder has a cylindrical outer surface and is situated within a conic-frustum-shaped opening of the casing. Between the grating holder and the conic-frustum-shaped opening, there are a plurality of filler elements which are made of ceramic or glass.

Diode array spectrophotometer

A diode array spectrophotometer has an entrance slit apparatus, a diffraction grating, a diode array and a casing to define the relative positions of the elements. The casing and the holder for accepting the diffraction grating are made of a ceramic whose coefficient of thermal expansion is matched to that of the diode array. The grating holder has a cylindrical outer surface and is situated within a conic-frustum-shaped opening of the casing. Between the grating holder and the conic-frustum-shaped opening, there are a plurality of filler elements which are made of ceramic or glass.

An adjustable optical component, for example an optical slit having adjustable slit width, comprises a movable member for providing an optical function, for example a slit and/or a shutter, and resilient suspension elements for connecting the movable member to a frame. The essential parts of the movable member, of the resilient suspension elements and of the frame consist of microstructures which are made of a common base material. Preferably, these parts are manufactured from a silicon chip by a micromechanical technique comprising, for example, anisotropic etching. In the case of an optical slit, the movable member comprises a plurality of openings of different widths which constitute a step slit. In order to adjust different slit widths, the member is moved along a line parallel to the center line of the step slit, with the force for moving the member being applied at an opening. When the member is moved by an external force, the resilient silicon beams are bending and the bars are moving. The movable member has an integrated shutter position. A high reproducibility of the adjustment of the center positions of the openings constituting the step slit during repeated movement of the member is ensured.

Adjustable optical component

A photodiode array spectrometer for determining the spectral composition of a plychromatic beam of radiation comprises diffraction means (10) which generate from the polychromatic beam a diffracted beam with a plurality of spatially separated diffracted rays of different wavelengths (.lambda..sub.1, .lambda..sub.2, .lambda..sub.3). A photodiode array (11) receives the diffracted beam whereby each photodiode intercepts a different spectral portion of the beam. A rotatable transparent plate (8) is provided in the beam path in front of the diffraction means (10) which, due to refraction of the beam upon entering and leaving the plate (8), permits to vary the direction of the beam impinging on the diffraction means (10) and therefore the direction of the diffracted beam in small steps depending on the angle of rotation of the plate (8). By the stepwise displacement of the diffracted beam across the photodiode array (11), a better sampling of the diffracted beam and therefore an improved spectral resolution is achieved. The invention can be used in the spectrometric analysis of a sample contained in a sample cell ( 5), whereby the sample cell is irradiated with polychromatic light from a light source (1).

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Karlsbad, Germany

Karsten G Kraiczek