Patent ID: 6251690
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for electrical excitation of a label molecule, comprisingat least partially immersing an electrode in an electrolyte solution containing at least one label molecule;exciting said label molecule by an electrical pulse from said electrode, thereby producing an excited label; anddetecting luminescence emitted by said excited label; wherein said electrode comprises an electrically conductive material and at least the portion of said electrode which is immersed in said solution is substantially covered with an electrically insulating film having a band gap equal to or greater than 5 eV; andquantifying the presence of the label based on the detected luminescence;wherein said insulating film comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, magnesium oxide, a nitride, an organic polymer, and a mixture of organic and inorganic substances.