1. An apparatus for analyzing, identifying or imaging a target, comprising:
a source of pulse signals in the range of frequencies from 100 GHz to over 2 THz including a first photoconductive switch activated by a pulsed optical beam from a laser resulting in a frequency spectrum f, 2f, 3f, . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz;
a radiator for causing said signals to be substantially simultaneously focused on or through said target; and
a detector for acquiring spectral information reflected from said target and coupled to a second pulsed optical beam derived from said laser for generating an electrical signal representative of some characteristic of the target.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said detector includes a second photoconductive switch activated by a pulsed laser beam derived from said laser and having the frequency spectrum f+\u0394f, 2(f+\u0394f), 3(f+\u0394f), . . . etc., where \u0394f is of the order of 2.5 KHz.
3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a processor coupled to said detector for analyzing said electrical signal and determining a characteristic of said target based upon the absorption characteristics of said target in the 100 GHz to over 2 THz frequency band.
4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said laser is a mode-locked laser for generating the respective pulsed laser beams directed to the first photoconductive switch.
5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the output of the laser is split into two paths, the first path coupled to the first photoconductive switch, and the second path coupled to a beam modifying component.
6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the output of said beam modifying component is coupled to said detector.
7. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said beam modifying component is a dispersive phase modulator.
8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said dispersive phase modulator produces an output signal with a sequence of frequency shifted components with respect to the pulsed laser beam with each frequency shift in said sequence increasing with increasing optical frequency.
9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said dispersive phase modulator is a lithium niobate modulator with the pulse intensity of the input pulse adjusted so as to adjust the dispersion in the non-linear lithium niobate medium.
10. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the source of pulsed signals in the range of frequencies further comprises hundreds of locked modes spanning more than 1000 GHz.
11. An apparatus for analyzing, identifying or imaging a target, comprising:
a source of pulse signals in the range of frequencies of from 100 GHz to 3 THz;
a radiator for causing said signals to be substantially simultaneously focused or through said target;
a detector including a photoconductive switch activated by a pulsed laser beam with the frequency spectrum f+\u0394f, 2(f+\u0394f), 3(f+\u0394f), . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz and \u0394f is of the order of 2.5 KHz, for acquiring spectral information reflected from or transmitted through said target for generating an electrical signal representative of some characteristics of the target; and
means coupled to said detector for processing said electrical signal.
12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising a processor coupled to said detector for analyzing said electrical signal and determining a characteristic of said target based upon the absorption characteristics of said target in the 100 GHz to over 2 TH frequency band.
13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising:
a mode-locked laser for generating a pulsed laser beam wherein the output of the laser is split into two paths, the first path coupled to the source of pulse signals in the range 100 GHz to over 2 THz, and the second path coupled to a beam modifying component having an output coupled to the detector.
14. An apparatus as in claim 11 wherein the pulsed beam further comprises hundreds of locked modes spanning more than 1000 GHz.
15. A portable apparatus for analyzing, identifying or imaging a target, comprising:
a housing capable of being supported by a user;
a source of pulse signals in said housing including a single mode-locked laser, said signals having simultaneous respective frequencies of f, 2f, 3f, . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz and said signals being in the range of frequencies from 100 GHz to over 2 THz;
a radiator coupled to said source of pulsed signals for causing said signals to be focused on said target;
a detector in said housing for acquiring spectral information reflected from or transmitted through said target and generating an electrical signal representative of some characteristics of the target; and
a processor in said housing coupled to said detector for processing said electrical signal.
16. An apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the source of pulsed signals further comprises hundreds of locked modes spanning more than 1000 GHz.
17. A transceiver comprising:
a mode-locked laser for generating a pulsed laser beam;
a beam splitter for splitting said beam into first and second optical beams;
a photoconductive switch activated by said first optical beam resulting in a frequency spectrum f, 2f, 3f, . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz; and
a detector including a photoconductive switch activated by said second optical beam with the frequency spectrum f+\u0394f, 2(f+\u0394f), 3(f+\u0394f), . . . etc. where \u0394f is of the order of 2.5 KHz, for acquiring spectral information reflected from or transmitted through said target and coupled to source for generating an electrical signal representative of some characteristics of the target.
18. An apparatus as in claim 17 wherein the first optical beam further comprises hundreds of locked modes spanning more than 1000 GHz.
19. A method of identifying or imaging a target comprising:
providing a single mode-locked laser for generating a pulsed laser beam;
simultaneously transmitting a predetermined spectral pattern of pulse signals derived from said pulsed laser beam to a target, said signals having respective frequencies of f, 2f, 3f, . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz and said signals being in the range of frequencies from 100 GHz to over 2 THz;
detecting the return signals in said frequency range after transmission through or reflection from said target by utilizing a detector tuned to said spectral pattern derived from said pulsed laser beam shifted by a sequence of non-identical small amounts from said spectral pattern; and
analyzing said spectral information to identify said target or a compositional characteristic thereof.
20. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising driving said detector by a dispersive phase modulator.
21. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising driving said dispersive phase modulator by a sawtooth generator and said pulsed laser beam.
22. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said pulsed laser beam activates a photoconductive switch resulting in a frequency spectrum f, 2f, 3, . . . etc. where f is the order of 100 MHz.
23. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said pulsed laser beam is applied to and acted upon by a dispersive phase modulator.
24. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said pulsed laser beam is split into two parts, with one part activating a photoconductive switch, and a second part being applied to and acted upon by a dispersive phase modulator.
25. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the output of the dispersive phase modulator is coupled to said detector.
26. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said detector is activated by a pulsed optical beam with the frequency spectrum f+\u0394f, 2(f+\u0394f), 3(f+\u0394f), . . . etc. where \u0394f is of the order of 2.5 KHz.
27. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said detecting step provides instantaneous multi-spectral heterodyne down conversion of said return signals.
28. An apparatus as in claim 19 wherein the predetermined spectral pattern of pulse signals further comprises hundreds of locked modes spanning more than 1000 GHz.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fluid separation structure, the fluid separation structure comprising
a substrate;
a plurality of nanowires grown on the substrate.
2. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires are grown to extend essentially vertically relative to a surface plane of the substrate.
3. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, comprising a cover structure covering the plurality of nanowires.
4. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, comprising a cover structure partially covering the plurality of nanowires so that a tip of the plurality of nanowires is exposed.
5. The fluid separation structure according to claim 4, wherein the cover structure is arranged to partially cover lateral side walls of the plurality of nanowires.
6. The fluid separation structure according to claim 4, wherein the cover structure is arranged to partially cover a surface of the substrate between the plurality of nanowires.
7. The fluid separation structure according to claim 4, wherein the cover structure comprises an electrically insulating material, particularly comprises silicon oxide, more particularly comprises a Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate silicon oxide material and a High-Density Plasma silicon oxide material.
8. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a semiconductor material, particularly comprises one of the group consisting of a group IV semiconductor, and a group III-group V semiconductor.
9. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, comprising a sample reservoir adapted for holding a fluidic sample and to bring the fluidic sample in interaction with the plurality of nanowires.
10. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, comprising an electric field generation unit adapted for generating an electric field for effecting an electric force to charged or polarisable particles of a fluidic sample to thereby move the charged or polarisable particles along the plurality of nanowires on the substrate.
11. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, comprising a detection unit, particularly a fluorescence detection unit, adapted for detecting at least one fraction of particles of a fluidic sample separated from at least one further fraction of particles of the fluidic sample.
12. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires is arranged to form a two dimensional array of nanowires in a surface plane of the substrate.
13. The fluid separation structure according to claim 12,
wherein the two dimensional array of nanowires comprises a plurality of portions in the surface plane of the substrate,
wherein a distance between adjacent nanowires differs for different ones of the plurality of portions.
14. The fluid separation structure according to claim 12,
wherein the two dimensional array of nanowires comprises a plurality of portions in the surface plane of the substrate,
wherein a diameter of the nanowires differs for different ones of the plurality of portions.
15. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires are grown on a planar surface of the substrate, particularly are grown on catalyst spots provided on the substrate.
16. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of nanowires is less than or equal to about 2 \u03bcm.
17. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, adapted as at least one of the group consisting of a measurement apparatus, a biochemical sample separation apparatus, a DNA separation apparatus, an electrophoresis apparatus, a biosensor, a lab-on-chip, a medical device, a portable device, a sample purification system, and a life science apparatus.
18. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires comprises one of the group consisting of a semiconductor nanowire, a carbon nanotube, a silicon nanowire, and a group III-group V nanowire.
19. A method of manufacturing a fluid separation structure, the method comprising
growing a plurality of nanowires on a substrate.
20. The method of claim 19, comprising
forming a cover structure covering the plurality of nanowires;
exposing a tip of the plurality of nanowires by removing a part of the cover structure.
21. A method of using a fluid separation structure of claim 1 for separating components of a fluidic sample.
22. The method of claim 21, comprising using the fluid separation structure for separating components of a fluidic sample by electrophoresis.
23. The method of claim 21, comprising using the fluid separation structure for separating DNA components of a fluidic sample.
24. The method of claim 21, comprising using the fluid separation structure for separating protein components of a fluidic sample.
25. The fluid separation structure according to claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of nanowires is in a range of about 100 nm to about 2 \u03bcm.