An implantable diagnostic device in accordance with the present disclosure provides various benefits such as a compact size thereby allowing implanting of the device inside animate objects; low cost due to incorporation of inexpensive detection circuitry and the use of conventional IC fabrication techniques; re-usability by heating thereby allowing multiple diagnostic tests to be performed without discarding the device; and a configuration that allows performing of simultaneous and/or sequential diagnostic tests for detecting one or more similar or dissimilar target molecules concurrently or at different times.

A sensing system for characterizing analytes of interest in a sample comprises a photonic integrated circuit with an integrated interferometer. The integrated interferometer is configured for spectroscopic operation. The integrated interferometer comprises at least a sensing arm and a reference arm, both the sensing arm and the reference arm having an exposable segment available for interaction with the sample, whereby the exposable segment of the reference arm has an optical path length which is smaller than twice the optical path length of the exposable segment of the sensing arm. The exposable section of the sensing arm is selective to the analyte of interest, whereas the exposable section of the reference arm is not selective to the analyte of interest.

A fluid medium monitoring apparatus of the present invention comprises: a light source unit for irradiating light; a first collimator unit for collimating light irradiated from the light source unit; a flow cell unit in which a fluid medium flows and light is allowed to absorb the wavelength of the fluid medium while proceeding along the moving direction of the fluid medium; and a light detection unit for detecting the wavelength of the light passing through the flow cell unit.

Optics collection and detection systems are provided for measuring optical signals from an array of optical sources over time. Methods of using the optics collection and detection systems are also described.

An optical system operating in the near or short-wave infrared wavelength range identifies an object based on water absorption. The system comprises a light source with modulated light emitting diodes operating at wavelengths near 1090 and 1440 nanometers, corresponding to lower and higher water absorption. The system further comprises one or more wavelength selective filters and a housing that is further coupled to an electrical circuit and a processor. The detection system comprises photodetectors that are synchronized to the light source, and the detection system receives at least a portion of light reflected from the object. The system is configured to identify the object by comparing the reflected light at the first and second wavelength to generate an output value, and then comparing the output value to a threshold. The optical system may be further coupled to a wearable device or a remote sensing system with a time-of-flight sensor.

A method of directly measuring moisture content in an oil-filled transformer includes using an optical fiber that having a grating sensor, such as a Fiber Bragg grating, defined in the optical fiber. The various conductors (windings) in the transformer are insulated using an insulator such as paper and insulating oil is filled inside the transformer. Moisture in the transformer is absorbed by the paper that surrounds the windings. A moisture content at a specific location can be measured by placing the optical fiber with the grating sensor directly at the specific location to be measured. A physical parameter of the paper that absorbed moisture changes over time, causing a change in the grating sensor of the optical fiber which changes the spectral response of optical signals that are reflected by the grating sensor. The method provides an accurate method of measuring the moisture inside the transformer at the specific location.

A hyper-velocity impact sensor including an optical fiber probe that transmits an optical pulse generated during impact with an object, a spectroscopic analyzer that receives the optical pulse and produces spectral information about the optical pulse, a connecting optical fiber configured to convey the optical pulse between the optical fiber probe and the spectroscopic analyzer, and at least one processor coupled to the spectroscopic analyzer and configured to receive and analyze the spectral information to determine at least one chemical element or compound contained in the object.

Methods and devices for cytometric analysis are provided. A cytometry apparatus is provided which may be used with a stationary sample cuvette for analysis of a stationary sample or with a flow sample cuvette for analysis of a flowing sample. The methods and devices provided herein may be used to perform cytometric analysis of samples under a wide range of experimental and environmental conditions.

A system and a method for optical sensing of single molecule or molecules in various concentrations are provided. The optical sensor system comprises a first fiber, a second fiber, a light source and a detection device. The first fiber and the second fiber are fused together to form an optical coupler. The first fiber serves as the passageway for the analyte, while the second fiber serves as the waveguide for the light that will interact with the said analyte. One end of the second fiber is connected to the light source (e.g. laser), and the opposite end is connected to the detection device (e.g. spectrometer). The analyte is introduced into the first fiber through one of its ends, and is allowed to flow through inside the hollow core of the said first fiber. When light is delivered through the input end of the second fiber, the evanescent light is formed in the optical coupler and is allowed to interact with the analyte in the first fiber. One scenario in this analyte-light interaction results in, for example, the generation of Raman emission that is used as the probing signal. The spectrum of the Raman emission is analyzed by the detection device to determine the presence of target molecule.

An optical multimodal detection system for targeted detection of cancer biomarkers in blood serum. The system comprises of a nano-biosensor, a chamber for receiving the nano-biosensor, a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) based detector, a plasmon enhanced fluorescence (PEF) based detector and a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based detector. The nano-biosensor comprises of a glass substrate provided with an active site for receiving a sample of blood serum, and is dimensioned to define a flow channel for introducing the sample of blood serum into the nano-biosensor. The nano-biosensor is provided with a layer of amino-silane compound coating over the glass substrate and a plurality of gold nano-urchins (GNU) bound to the layer of silicone compound. The plurality of gold-nano-urchins are functionalized with a hydrazide linker molecule for allowing uniform-oriented conjugation of a F.sub.c region of antibodies to a surface of gold nano-urchins thereby allowing Fab regions of antibodies for binding with cancer biomarkers.