The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 05, 2000
William H. McAllister, Saratoga, CA (US);
Agilent Technologies, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A comparative conductivity detection system includes a sample channel assembly and a reference channel assembly. The sample channel assembly includes a sample-fluid channel, a drive electrode, and a detection electrode. The reference channel assembly includes a reference fluid channel, a drive electrode, and a detection electrode. The channels are formed as trenches in a planar substrate. Each electrode is capacitively coupled to its respective channel through a planar cover over the substrate. The drive electrodes are driven anti-synchronously (180° out of phase), while the signals induced in the detection electrodes are summed. The summed detection signal indicates the comparative conductivity of the sample and reference fluids. The reference fluid can, for example, include non-sample components of the sample fluid so that artifacts due to the non-sample components are cancelled in the comparative conductivity detector output. Other applications use a reference fluid that is suspected to be a complete or partial match for the sample fluid. In that case, a high degree of cancellation can aid in identification of the sample components. The comparative contactless conductivity detector can be used with a wide variety of chemical separation techniques, including capillary zone electrophoresis and isotachophoresis.