1. A device for measuring analytical reactions comprising a two dimensional array of elements comprising optode array components, fluidic input components, and illumination input components:
(a) the optode array components each comprising an array of optode elements, each optode element comprising:
a nanoscale aperture within an aperture layer, the aperture forming a fluid receiving nanoscale well for receiving a fluid including fluorescent species;
above the aperture layer a fluidic layer in fluidic contact with the nanoscale well, the fluidic layer comprising an array of fluidic conduits, each fluidic conduit extending across a plurality of optode elements;
below the aperture layer a waveguide layer that provides illumination to the nanoscale well, the waveguide layer comprising an array of channel waveguides, each channel waveguide extending across a plurality of optode elements;
below the waveguide layer a transmission layer that transmits light emitted from the fluorescent species in the nanoscale well to a detector layer; and
below the transmission layer the detector layer comprising one or more detectors which receives and detects the emitted light from the nanoscale well and transmitted through the transmission layer;
(b) the fluidic input components connected to an edge of the optode array component, the fluidic input components each comprising a port on its top surface for introduction of fluids, and fluidic conduits fluidically connected to the port and connected to fluidic conduits in the reactor component; and
(c) the illumination input components connected to an edge of the optode array component, the illumination input components each having an optical port on its top surface for introduction of illumination light, and waveguides connected to the optical port and connected to waveguides of the optode array component.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein each optode element comprises an optical tunnel that preferentially directs optical signals from the nanoscale well to the one or more detectors.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein each optode array component comprises from 100 to 100,000 optode elements.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the detector layer comprises embedded circuits for processing output data from the one or more detectors.
5. The device of claim 4 wherein the embedded circuits filter background noise from the one or more detectors.
6. The device of claim 4 further comprising an amplifier for amplifying the output data.
7. The device of claim 6 further comprising an analog to digital converter.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein a combination of an optode array component, a fluidic input component, and an illumination input component is an optode array group, and the device comprises from about 100 to about 1,000 optode array groups.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein there is little or no free space between components.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the detector layer can be reversibly separated from the portion of the array comprising the nanoscale well.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the illumination input components and fluidic input components are provided in alternating rows.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein each optode array component is connected to two fluidic input components.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein each optode array component is connected to two illumination input components.
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 quantum optical semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; and
an active layer formed on said semiconductor substrate and including therein a quantum structure,
said quantum structure comprising:
a first barrier layer of a first semiconductor crystal having a first lattice constant and a first bandgap;
a second barrier layer of a second semiconductor crystal formed epitaxially on said first barrier layer, said second semiconductor crystal having a second lattice constant and a second bandgap;
a plurality of quantum dots formed in said second barrier layer, each of said quantum dots comprising a semiconductor crystal forming a strained system with regard to said first and second semiconductor crystals and having a lattice constant different from said first lattice constant and a bandgap smaller than any of said first and second bandgaps, each of said quantum dots having a height substantially identical with a thickness of said second barrier layer; and
a third barrier layer of a third semiconductor crystal formed on said second barrier layer, said third semiconductor crystal having a lattice constant different from said lattice constant of said semiconductor crystal constituting said quantum dots, said third semiconductor crystal further having a third bandgap larger than said bandgap of said semiconductor crystal forming said quantum dots,
said third barrier layer making a contact with an apex of said quantum dot formed in said second barrier layer,
wherein each of said quantum dots has an in-plane strain equal to or larger than a strain acting in a direction perpendicular to said substrate for the case where a tensile strain is defined to have a positive value and a compressive strain is defined to have a negative value.
2. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second and third barrier layers form together a continuous, single semiconductor layer.
3. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first barrier layer has a composition modified in the vicinity of said quantum dots, and wherein said third barrier layer has a composition modified in the vicinity of said quantum dot.
4. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said first through third barrier layers is formed of a group III-V mixed semiconductor crystal containing In and Ga, each of said first and third barrier layers having an increased In content in the vicinity of said quantum dot.
5. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said second barrier layer has an increased Ga content in the vicinity of said quantum dots.
6. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first semiconductor crystal, said second semiconductor crystal and said third semiconductor crystal achieved lattice-matching with respect to said semiconductor substrate.
7. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and third semiconductor crystals have an identical composition.
8. A quantum semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second lattice constant is larger or smaller than any of said first and third lattice constants.
9. A quantum semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first through third semiconductor crystals is selected from the group consisting of an InGaAsP mixed crystal, an InAlGaAs mixed crystal, and an InAlGaP mixed crystal.
10. A quantum semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises any of InP and GaAs.
11. A quantum semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor substrate carries a first electrode, a first cladding layer being provided between said semiconductor substrate and said active layer, and a second electrode is provided on said active layer via a second cladding layer.
12. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said quantum structure causes interaction with TM-mode optical radiation and TE-mode optical radiation with respective proportions, said proportion of interaction with a TM-mode optical radiation being equal to or larger than said proportion of interaction with a TE-mode optical radiation.
13. A quantum optical semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; and
an active layer formed on said semiconductor substrate and including a quantum structure therein,
said quantum structure comprising:
a first barrier layer of a first semiconductor crystal having a first lattice constant and a first bandgap;
a second barrier layer of a second semiconductor crystal formed epitaxially on said first barrier layer, said second semiconductor crystal having a second lattice constant and a second bandgap;
a plurality of quantum dots formed in said second barrier layer, each of said quantum dots comprising a semiconductor crystal forming a strained system with respect to said first and second semiconductor crystals and having a lattice constant different from said first lattice constant and a bandgap smaller than any of said first and second bandgaps, each of said quantum dots having a height substantially equal to a thickness of said second barrier layer,
said first barrier layer and said second barrier layer being stacked alternately such that said first barrier layer makes a contact with an apex of said quantum dots in said second barrier layer,
said first barrier layer and said second barrier layer having respective, different compositions,
wherein each of said quantum dots has an in-plane strain equal to or larger than a strain acting in a direction perpendicular to said substrate for the case where a tensile strain is defined to have a positive value and a compressive strain is defined to have a negative value.
14. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said quantum dots are formed of InAs, and wherein said first and second barrier layers are formed of an InGaAsP mixed crystal.
15. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said first barrier layer has a composition represented by compositional parameters x and y as InxGa1-xAs1-y, and wherein said compositional parameter y is set to 0.65 or less.
16. A quantum optical semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; and
an active layer formed on said semiconductor substrate and including a quantum structure therein,
said quantum structure comprising:
a barrier layer of a first semiconductor crystal having a first lattice constant and a first bandgap;
a plurality of quantum dots formed in said barrier layer, each of said quantum dots comprising a semiconductor crystal forming a strained system with respect to said first semiconductor crystal and having a lattice constant different from said first lattice constant and a bandgap smaller than said first bandgap,
said barrier layer containing therein said plurality of quantum dots being stacked for a predetermined stack number,
wherein said predetermined stack number is set such that a proportion of interaction of said quantum dots to optical radiation of TM-mode is equal to or larger than a proportion of interaction of said quantum dots to optical radiation of TE-mode.
17. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said barrier layer has a thickness exceeding a height of said quantum dots.
18. A quantum optical semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said semiconductor substrate and said barrier layer are formed of GaAs, said quantum dots are formed of InAs, and wherein said predetermined stack number is about eight.