Patent ID: 6288527
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A measurement system for measuring electrical cell activity in a neural cell, the system comprising:a two-dimensional sensor, comprising:a sensor substrate having a thickness less than about 200 .mu.m and comprising a Si layer being sufficiently thin that spontaneous electrical discharges from said neural cells are measurable, a SiO.sub.2 layer, and a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer;an effect electrode comprising a thin film on a back side of the sensor substrate; anda fence disposed adjacent the Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer on a front side of the sensor substrate for containing a sample cell, culture medium and a reference electrode;a high frequency modulated laser beam source for irradiating a spot on the back side of the sensor substrate with a laser beam;a DC power source for applying a DC bias voltage between the effect electrode on the back side of the sensor substrate and the reference electrode within the fence on the front side of the sensor substrate; anda processor for detecting variations in the amplitude of the AC photocurrent flowing between said effect and reference electrodes thereby measuring electrical cell activity;wherein an electrical signal is obtained from the effect electrode when said laser beam irradiates a spot on the back side of the sensor substrate, and wherein the electrical signal corresponds to a potential alteration substantially at the spot irradiated by said laser beam and to said electrical neural cell activity.