123 results about "Optical force" patented technology

The present invention relates to a method for investigating a sample using scanning probe photon microscopy or optical force microscopy, and to an apparatus which is designed accordingly. The method or the apparatus provides for two optical traps which can be moved in a local region of the sample, wherein in at least one of the two traps a probe is held. The sample is scanned using the two traps and the measured data from the two traps are captured separately and evaluated by correlation. In particular interference signals resulting from an interaction between sample and light trap can be eliminated by the method.

The invention provides metamaterial-based optical tweezers. By preparing a hole array with a periodic structure on one or more layers of sandwich structure including a metal layer, an insulating layer and another metal layer, the optical tweezers can have magnetic dipoles, and under the irradiation of a light source, a negative optical force along the illumination direction is generated, so micro-particles can be captured and selected accurately. With the magnetic dipoles, the optical tweezers can capture the micro-particles under the action of a low-power light source, and influence and interference of the optical tweezers on the activity of a biological sample caused by over-high power of the light source are reduced. The optical tweezers can have the characteristics of small volume, large capturing force, high stability and the like.

A system and the method for transport of microscopic objects / particles involving the use of laser source operatively connected to a microscope objective which is adapted to generate optical focal spots on said particle(s) with asymmetric intensity profile in transverse plane followed by varying the said asymmetry of the gradient optical forces on the micron sized object / particles to thereby transport the microscopic object(s). The system and the method can be used to transport microscopic objects including i) transportation of cells and intra-cellular organelles, ii) acceleration of microscopic objects along any direction in a plane transverse to the direction of propagation of laser beam, iii) optical channeling of objects through a micro-capillary from one micro-well to another and transfer to another channel after desired processing, iv) sorting of microscopic objects, v) optical control of micro-machines, micro-fluidic devices etc. Importantly the apparatus and the method of the invention would have use in various biotechnological and micro electromechanical systems. Also the system and method for optical transportation of microscopic objects, would be capable of transporting objects of varying dimensions ranging from sub-micron to few tens of microns.

At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a catheter arrangement comprising a catheter with a proximal section and a distal section, to measure a force acting on the distal section and simultaneously receive a temperature signal prevailing in the distal section. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the catheter arrangement comprises an evaluation unit connected to a single combined optical force and temperature sensor, and further comprises a readout signal generator to generate and feed a readout signal modulated with a carrier frequency into the force sensor and temperature sensor. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the catheter arrangement comprises a first readout device to read out a first modulated measuring signal portion, a second readout means to read out a second unmodulated measuring signal portion, and a processing unit to combine the first and second measuring signal portions.

Methods and apparatus for analyzing surface properties of particles are provided. A method for analyzing the surface properties of the particle includes a associating a first particle with a first capture zone having a specific binding affinity for a first chemical species, applying an optical force to the first particle, sensing a response of the first particle to the optical force, and using the sensed response to determine the presence, absence or quantity of the first chemical species on the first particle surface. This process may be repeated in parallel to test multiple particles. In addition to directly testing the surface properties of the particles, the method can be used in direct, indirect and competitive assays to determine the presence, absence or quantity of free or immobilized analytes. A fluidic cartridge with capture zones having avidities that are tuned for the use of optical forces is provided. A software routine for performing the method is also provided.

The invention discloses an adjustable optical resonance device and a modulation method of the adjustable optical resonance device. The adjustable optical resonance device comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide, an optical resonator and a third waveguide, wherein the first waveguide, the second waveguide, the optical resonator and the third waveguide are attached to the substrate. The first waveguide and the second waveguide are arranged on one side of the optical resonator in sequence, and the third waveguide is arranged on the other side of the optical resonator. The contact surface between the first waveguide and the substrate and the contact surface between the second waveguide and the substrate are hollowed out; the sectional area of the second waveguide is larger than that of the first waveguide. Control light with power larger than the light power threshold value is input, as a result, the first waveguide deforms, the coupling coefficient of the optical resonator and the first waveguide is changed, and the extinction ratio and Q value of the resonance device are adjusted. According to the adjustable optical resonance device and the modulation method of the adjustable optical resonance device, the optical force effect of interaction between the waveguides is used for changing the coupling coefficient of the optical resonator and the waveguides to adjust the extinction ratio and Q value of the optical resonance device; the relation that the optical force effect increases along with increase of control light power is utilized, the magnitude of the power of the control light is changed to directly change deformation of the hollowed-out thin waveguides, and the adjustable optical resonance device is easy to realize and flexible in operation.

A mass sensor system including multiple Fabry-Perot microcavities connected in parallel by multiple waveguides. Each of the mass sensors includes a microbridge having a fundamental resonance frequency, and a movable reflective mirror etched into the microbridge; a fixed reflective mirror etched in a substrate, the fixed reflective mirror being fixed to the substrate in a region spaced apart from the movable reflective mirror; and an optical waveguide etched in the substrate that connects the movable mirror and the fixed mirror forming the Fabry-Perot microcavity interferometer. The system includes a tunable continuous-wave laser operative to optically interrogate the Fabry-Perot microcavity of each of the plurality of mass sensors, and a receiver operative to receive sensor signals from each of the plurality of mass sensors, the sensor signals comprising reflective signals and transmitted signals. A continuous-wave laser may generate optical forces that modify the motion, dynamics, or mechanical Q-factor of the microbridge.

An optical force sensing element for microsurgical instruments and methods measures force F in three orthogonal directions and includes a monolithic cylinder structure, a cylindrical surface and a top surface that absorbs and transmits the force F. Three punch-like notches, all being parallel to the y-direction, are spaced apart along the z-axis and form two blades between the first and second notch and between the second and the third notch. Three channels parallel to the z-axis extend from the bottom surface to the top surface and cross the first notch while bypassing the other two notches. Three optical fibres, each fixed in one of the three channels, all entering the structure from the bottom surface, cross the first notch and end at or near the top surface while being interrupted in the first notch and forming two surfaces of each fibre that define a Fabry-Perot interferometric cavity.