Microstructured optical device for remote chemical sensing
US7262856B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 25, 2005 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 11, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03H2270/31
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A microstructure-based chemical sensor that can be interrogated by a remote observer. The device acts as an electromagnetic wave filter in the optical region of the spectrum, filtering one or more wavelength bands where the band spectral notch location shifts in response to the accumulation of material on the surface of the microstructure sensor. The apparatus has a substrate having a surface relief structure containing dielectric bodies with one or more physical dimensions smaller than the wavelength of the filtered electromagnetic waves, such structures repeated in an array covering at least a portion of the surface of the substrate. A retro-reflecting structure allows interrogation of the sensor over a wide field of view. The device is particularly useful as a water monitoring device in hard to reach locations, and as a chemical warfare or explosives detector that can be read from a safe distance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.