KR20050047888A - Lab-on-a-chip using overall light-emiiting source - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lab-on-a-chip, and in particular, a top-emitting light source capable of achieving miniaturization of a lab-on-a-chip by using a light source having a thin-film structure that emits full surface light or a high brightness LED array light source. It relates to a lab-on-a-chip. To this end, the wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention uses a thin-film organic light emitting diode or a carbon nanotube lamp or a high-brightness LED array light source having the same function but not having a thin film structure capable of high light quantity and full emission. A thin film type optical filter and a fluorescence detection sensor are formed in a laminated structure. Thus, the present invention can achieve the miniaturization of the lab-on-a-chip and eliminate the inconvenience of having to align the sensor position in the channel with the incident position of the light source.

Description

LAB-ON-A-CHIP USING OVERALL LIGHT-EMIITING SOURCE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lab-on-a-chip, and in particular, a top-emitting light source capable of achieving miniaturization of a lab-on-a-chip by using a light source having a thin-film structure that emits full surface light or a high brightness LED array light source. It relates to a lab-on-a-chip.

Lab-on-a-Chip is a system that can perform long and expensive biological tests in a short time and at a low cost. The lab-on-a-chip can be configured as a multi-channel system to perform high-speed parallel processing. In order to detect biological reactions, various methods such as mechanical methods, chemical methods, and electrical methods are used, but fluorescence detection methods for detecting the amount of fluorescence emitted from a biochemical (fluorescence emitting material) using a light source are most widely used. Fluorescence detection has the advantage of having high reliability and high speed and high sensitivity inspection.

Lab-on-a-chip using fluorescence detection is largely a light source for exciting biochemicals, an optical filter for filtering excitation light at a specific wavelength, a microchannel through which biochemicals travel, an optical filter for transmitting only the emission fluorescence of biochemicals, and an emitted type. It consists of a fluorescence detection sensor which detects a light quantity.

The conventional lab-on-a-chip having such a structure can achieve integration of the biochemical transport system by moving the biochemical material by electrophoresis, but the lab uses a large volume light source such as a laser as a light source for exciting the biochemical material. There is a problem that miniaturization of the on-chip is difficult.

In addition, since the laser does not emit top emission, in the general microchannel 1 of the lab-on-a-chip shown in FIG. 1, it is inconvenient to align the fluorescence detection position 4 with the incident position of the excitation light.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to implement a portable lab-on-a-chip.

Another object of the present invention is to implement a lab-on-a-chip that does not need to align the fluorescence detection position with the excitation light incident position.

To this end, the lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention includes a light source unit including a light source which emits full emission to excite a biochemical, a microchannel into which the biochemical is injected, moved and mixed, and deposited on an upper surface of the microchannel, and excitation light. A microchannel portion including a first optical filter for filtering the light at a specific wavelength, a fluorescence detection sensor for detecting the emitted fluorescence amount, and a second depositing on the upper surface of the fluorescence detection sensor to transmit only the emission fluorescence of the biochemical material The fluorescence detection sensor unit including the optical filter is characterized in that the laminated structure.

In addition, the lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention includes a light source unit including a light source that emits full emission to excite a biochemical, a first optical filter for filtering excitation light at a specific wavelength, and the biochemical is injected and moved and mixed. A microchannel, a second optical filter for transmitting only the emission fluorescence of the biochemical material, and a fluorescence detection sensor for detecting the amount of emitted fluorescence have a laminated structure, wherein the light source unit, the first optical filter, the microchannel, and the The second optical filter and the fluorescence detection sensor may be separated from each other so that replacement and insertion are possible from the outside.

In addition, when a plurality of lab-on-a-chips according to the present invention form a multi-layer lab-on-a-chip, it is characterized by using a single light-emitting source as a light source for the lab-on-a-chip.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2, 3, 5 and 6 show a cross-sectional view, a separated cross-sectional view, a plan view, and an exploded perspective view of the wrap-on-a-chip structure according to the present invention in sequence.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6, the lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention has a mold 7 for supporting the light source 5 and the light source 5 which emit full emission to excite the biochemical. A light source unit 14 including the light source unit 14, a microchannel 1 through which biochemicals are injected, moved and mixed, and a first optical filter deposited on an upper surface of the microchannel 1 to filter excitation light to a specific wavelength ( 8 to detect the microchannel portion 15, the mold 13, the silicon substrate 11 supported by the mold 13, and the amount of fluorescence emitted in the silicon substrate 11 A fluorescence detection sensor comprising a fluorescence detection sensor 12, a second optical filter 9 deposited on the top surface of the silicon substrate 11 and the top surface of the fluorescence detection sensor 12 to transmit only the emission fluorescence of the biochemical. The part 16 is comprised by the laminated structure.

In the present invention, an organic light emitting diode or a carbon nanotube lamp which has a very high light quantity and can be manufactured in a thin film structure is used as the light source 5 emitting the front surface. The thin-film top-emitting light source enables miniaturization of the lab-on-a-chip and fundamentally solves the problem of aligning the fluorescence detection position in the microchannel with the incident position of the excitation light. In addition, even when a light source having a structure in which a high brightness light emitting diode is arranged but not a thin film structure is used, the same effect as that of a top emission light source of a thin film structure can be obtained.

4A illustrates a light source unit including the top emission light source 5 having a thin film structure, and FIG. 4B illustrates a light source unit including a high brightness LED array light source in which the high brightness LEDs 6 are arranged. In the embodiment of the present invention, as can be seen from the drawings, a light source having a thin film structure is used as the light source 5 emitting full emission.

In addition, in the present invention, the first optical filter 8 and the second optical filter are configured in a thin film form in order to maximize the miniaturization of the lab-on-a-chip. That is, the first optical filter 8 is deposited on the upper surface of the microchannel 1 to increase integration by reducing the distance between the light source 5 and the microchannel 1. Similarly, the second optical filter 9 is deposited on the upper surface of the fluorescence detection sensor 12 to reduce the distance between the microchannel 1 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12.

As such, when the distance between the light source 5 and the micro channel 1 and the distance between the micro channel 1 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12 decrease, the size of the lab-on-a-chip becomes smaller while the sensitivity of the lab-on-a-chip is improved. You can. That is, as the distance between the light source 5 and the microchannel 1 decreases, more light is supplied from the light source 5 to the microchannel 1, thereby increasing the excitation of the fluorescent emission material moving through the microchannel 1. The sensitivity of the lab-on-a-chip can be improved. In addition, when the distance between the microchannel 1 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12 decreases, the fluorescence detection sensor 12 absorbs more light, so that the sensitivity of the lab-on-a-chip can also be improved.

In the present invention, the electrode 10 is deposited on the lower surface of the microchannel 1 to be used as a contact electrode connecting the electrode 10 of the fluorescence detection sensor 12 and the electrode 10 of the mold frame 13. Thus, the lab-on-a-chip and the external circuit can be easily connected.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, in the lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention, the light source unit 14, the micro channel unit 15, and the fluorescence detection sensor unit 16 may be separated from each other. In this way, the structure that can be separated from each component has the advantage that can be replaced by inserting a suitable light source (5) from the outside depending on the test material and the test method. In addition, when the microchannel 1 is contaminated by biochemicals and cannot be reused, the entire lab-on-a-chip must be disposed of in the related art. However, in the present invention, the microchannel 1 may be manufactured and inserted from outside. Therefore, various types of inspection can be performed in a single lab-on-a-chip while reusing the light source 5 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12.

7 and 8 are a cross-sectional view and a separate cross-sectional view of the lab-on-a-chip according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the lab-on-a-chip according to another embodiment of the present invention has a light source unit including a light source 5 that emits light to excite biochemicals similarly to the lab-on-a-chip structure of FIG. 2. 14, the first optical filter 8 in the form of a thin film for filtering excitation light at a specific wavelength, the microchannel 1 through which the biochemical material is injected, moved and mixed, and the thin film for transmitting only the emission fluorescence of the biochemical material. Although the second optical filter 9 of the type and the fluorescence detection sensor 12 for detecting the emitted fluorescence amount have a laminated structure, the light source unit 14, the first optical filter 8, and the microchannel 1 are formed. The second optical filter 9 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12 are separable, respectively, so that replacement and insertion are possible from the outside.

That is, the first optical filter 8 and the second optical filter 9 are not deposited and fixed on the upper surfaces of the microchannel 1 and the fluorescence detection sensor 12, respectively, but are separated in a thin film form. . Therefore, the optical filters 8 and 9 may be manufactured and replaced and inserted as needed, thereby further maximizing the utilization of a single lab-on-a-chip.

The present invention can also be applied to the integration of a lab-on-a-chip of a multi-structure that performs high-speed multiple inspection.

9 and 10 show a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, of a wrap-on-a-chip having a multiple structure formed by connecting two wrap-on-a-chips 17 of FIG. 9 and 10 illustrate that two lab-on-a-chips 17 are connected, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of lab-on-a-chips may be gathered to form a lab-on-a-chip having multiple structures.

Conventionally, when a lab-on-a-chip having a multiple structure is formed by using a lab-on-a-chip, each light source exists for each lab-on-a-chip. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a single light source is used. Multiple structured lab-on-a-chip can be implemented. In the lab-on-a-chip with multiple structures, each light source for each lab-on-a-chip is integrated into a single light source, thereby maximizing integration and miniaturization of the lab-on-a-chip with multiple structures and reducing manufacturing costs.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip having multiple structures fabricated using the lab-on-a-chip of FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 11, a multi-layer wrap-on-a-chip of FIG. 11 also has a single light source common to each wrap-on-a-chip as in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As described above, the present invention can reduce the size of the lab-on-a-chip by using a light source having a thin-film structure that emits full light or a high brightness LED array light source having the same function, and inconvenient to align the fluorescence detection position with the incident position of the excitation light. There is an effect that can be removed.

In addition, a thin film type optical filter is deposited on the microchannel and the sensor, thereby reducing the distance between the light source and the microchannel and the distance between the microchannel and the sensor, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the lab-on-a-chip.

In addition, the contact electrode is deposited on the lower surface of the microchannel, thereby facilitating connection with an external circuit.

In addition, since the components of the lab-on-a-chip are separated and the component parts can be replaced and inserted according to the inspection target material and the inspection method, there is an effect of maximizing the utilization beyond the limitation of the conventional disposable lab-on-a-chip.

In addition, since the lab-on-a-chip of the multi-channel structure can be implemented with a single light source, the lab-on-a-chip of the multi-channel structure can be simplified and manufactured at low cost.

1 is a structural diagram of a general micro channel of a lab-on-a-chip.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention.

4 is a plan view of a light source (a) and a light emitting diode array light source (b) of a thin film structure used as a top emission light source.

5 is a plan view of a wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wrap on a chip according to the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip having multiple structures in which a plurality of lab-on-a-chips of FIG. 2 are collected.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a wrap-on-a-chip having multiple structures in which a plurality of lab-on-a-chips of FIG. 2 are collected.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a wrap-on-a-chip having multiple structures in which a plurality of wrap-on-a-chips of FIG. 7 are collected.

** Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings **

1: microchannel 2: biochemical inlet

3: biochemical outlet 4: fluorescence detection position

5: light source having thin film structure 6: high brightness light emitting diode

7: mold of light source unit 8: first optical filter

9: second optical filter 10: electrode

11 silicon substrate 12 fluorescence detection sensor

13: mold of sensor part 14: light source part

15 micro channel portion 16 fluorescence detection sensor portion

17: Lab on a chip

Claims (9)

A light source unit including a light source which emits full light to excite a biochemical, A microchannel unit including a microchannel into which the biochemical material is injected, moved and mixed, and a first optical filter deposited on an upper surface of the microchannel to filter excitation light to a specific wavelength; A front surface of the fluorescence detection sensor portion having a laminated structure comprising a fluorescence detection sensor for detecting the amount of emitted fluorescence and a second optical filter deposited on the upper surface of the fluorescence detection sensor to transmit only the emission fluorescence of the biochemicals Lab-on-a-chip using light emitting light source. The method of claim 1, The light source unit, the micro-channel unit and the fluorescence detection sensor unit is detachable from each other, the wrap-on-a-chip using a top-emitting light source, characterized in that the replacement can be inserted from the outside. A light source unit including a light source which emits full light to excite a biochemical, A first optical filter of a thin film type for filtering excitation light to a specific wavelength; A micro channel into which the biochemical is injected and moved and mixed; A second optical filter in the form of a thin film that transmits only the emission fluorescence of the biochemical material; The fluorescence detection sensor for detecting the amount of emitted fluorescence is composed of a laminated structure, The light source unit, the first optical filter, the micro channel, the second optical filter and the fluorescence detection sensor are each detachable, the wrap-on-a-chip using a top-emitting light source, characterized in that the replacement can be inserted from the outside. The method according to claim 1 or 3, Lap-on-a-chip using a top-emitting light source, characterized in that to facilitate the connection to an external circuit by depositing a contact electrode on the lower surface of the micro-channel. The wrap-on-a-chip of claim 1, wherein the wrap-on-a-chip consists of a plurality of wrap-on-a-chips. The wrap-on-a-chip having multiple structures according to claim 3, wherein the wrap-on-a-chip having a plurality of wrap-on-a-chips is used as a light source for the wrap-on-a-chip. The method according to claim 1, 3, 5 or 6, The light source for emitting the top surface is a wrap-on-a-chip using a top-emitting light source, characterized in that the organic light emitting diode of a thin film structure. The method according to claim 1, 3, 5 or 6, The front light source is a wrap-on-a-chip using a top-emitting light source, characterized in that the thin film carbon nanotube lamp. The method according to claim 1, 3, 5 or 6, The light source emitting the top surface is a wrap-on-a-chip using the top-emitting light source, characterized in that the high brightness light emitting diode array light source.