Patent ID: 6667179
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for detecting binding or unbinding of first and second molecules, said method comprising the steps of(a) forming a mixture comprising a first molecule, a second molecule and a substrate, wherein: the first molecule comprises a luminophore, one of the first and second molecules is immobilized on the substrate, and the substrate comprises a semiconductor which acts as a luminescence quencher to provide distance-dependent quenching of the luminophore, and between the semiconductor and the immobilized molecule, a molecular attachment layer, whereby but for an incubation-induced change in binding of the first and second molecules, the luminophore and substrate are at a reference distance which provides a reference quenching, whereby the mixture provides a reference luminescence, (b) incubating the mixture under conditions wherein the binding of the first and second molecules changes, whereby the luminophore and substrate are at a test distance which provides a test quenching, whereby the mixture provides a test luminescence, (c) detecting the test luminescence, wherein a difference between the test luminescence and the reference luminescence indicates binding or unbinding of the first and second molecules, wherein the semiconductor has a band gap of less than or equal to about 2 eV and is selected from silicon and germanium, and the substrate is a wafer of the semiconductor.