Patent ID: 6485626
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
Multiple capillary electrophoresis device including:a plurality of juxtaposed capillaries (2a), means (4, 5) for generating inside the capillaries (2a) a first electric field which ensures electrophoretic migration by an electrophoretic migration field, at least one source for emitting a beam intended to excite molecules at the output of the capillary, means for detecting the fluorescence of the molecules excited by said beam, characterized in that the device includes means (5, 7) for generating a second electric field, referred to as a confinement electric field, distributed uniformly around said capillaries and substantially parallel to them, the second electric field confining the electrophoretic migration field and forcing the molecules to move substantially without diversions in the axis of said capillaries (2a), further characterized in that the means (5, 7) for generating the confinement field includes at least one intermediate metal electrode (7) directly juxtaposed with the capillaries (2a) and arranged across the capillaries (2a), in the vicinity of the outputs of the capillaries, the means (5, 7) further including a metal electrode (5) which defines the first electric field and said metal electrode (5) arranged level with the outputs of the capillaries (2a), parallel to the intermediate metal electrode (7) and perpendicular to the capillaries (2a), wherein the intermediate metal electrode (7) and the metal electrode (5) impose said second electric field at the output of the capillaries (2a).