Texas Instruments Corporation

Other

Keren Deng

Dwight Urban Bartholomew

Jerome Lee Elkind

A surface plasmon resonance sensor or critical angle sensor has a reflecting surface which is optically flat and exposed to air on one side. Light reflecting from a sensing surface of the sensor which impinges on the reflecting surface at an angle which is less than the critical angle passes into the air whereas light which impinges at an angle which is equal to or greater than the critical angle is reflected onto a photodetector. The critical angle reflection from the reflecting surface provides a total internal reflection (TIR) characteristic which is used to calibrate the sensor.

Self-calibration of an optical-based sensor using a total internal reflection (TIR) signature

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor ( ) is disclosed. The sensor ( ) includes a light source ( ) and polarizer ( ), which emit polarized light toward a surface plasmon layer ( ). Light is reflected from the surface plasmon layer ( ) at many angles, toward a photodetector array ( ) via a mirror surface ( ). The surface plasmon layer ( ) includes a resonance film ( ), such as gold, and a hard protective layer ( ). The hard protective layer ( ) is of a thickness below the sensing range (R) of the SPR sensor ( ), and protects the resonance film ( ) from damage. Materials useful as the hard protective layer ( ) include silicon carbide (SiC), diamond-like carbon (DLC), silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, beryllium oxide, and tantalum oxide.

Robust integrated surface plasmon resonance sensor

A rapid sensor calibration technique applied prior to each Sensor measuring a beverage in which water (zero Brix), at same temperature as beverage, is drawn from a Water Supply via Valve and passed over the fixed optic Sensor in order to reference out any sensor temperature changes or beverage temperature changes or sensor surface fouling by the dispensed beverage. This technique of continuous and multiple calibrations, provides an enhanced &ldquo;beverage dispensing system&rdquo; calibration beyond that achievable using known calibration methods associated with automatically sensing and controlling beverage quality for soft drinks from a fountain dispenser using, for example, water at a specific temperature to initially calibrate Sensor , or using a high quality beverage, from a bottle, for example, at a known Brix level to initially calibrate Sensor

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Keren Deng