Integrated microchip incorporating atomic magnetometer and microfluidic channel for NMR and MRI

US7994783B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Micah Ledbetter · Sunnyvale, US
• Igor M. Savukov · Los Alamos, US
• Dmitry Budker · Corona, US
• Vishal K. Shah · Plainsboro, US
• Svenja Knappe · Boulder, US
• John Kitching · Boulder, US
• David J. Michalak · Portland, US
• Shoujun Xu · Houston, US
• Alexander Pines · Berkeley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 6, 2009
• Grant date: Aug 9, 2011
• Expiry date: Aug 9, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/282
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An integral microfluidic device includes an alkali vapor cell and microfluidic channel, which can be used to detect magnetism for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Small magnetic fields in the vicinity of the vapor cell can be measured by optically polarizing and probing the spin precession in the small magnetic field. This can then be used to detect the magnetic field of in encoded analyte in the adjacent microfluidic channel. The magnetism in the microfluidic channel can be modulated by applying an appropriate series of radio or audio frequency pulses upstream from the microfluidic chip (the remote detection modality) to yield a sensitive means of detecting NMR and MRI.