Patent ID: 7657133

Claim:
An apparatus for single analyte molecule detection comprising: (a) a light source disposed to generate excitation light on a first path; (b) a dichroic mirror disposed on the first path of excitation light generated by the light source, wherein the dichroic mirror is arranged to direct excitation light into a fiber aligner; (c) an optical transducer coupled to the light source by the fiber aligner, wherein the optical transducer comprises an optical waveguide made from a dielectric material having a first dielectric index; (d) a photon detector disposed to receive fluorescent back radiation; and (e) a test solution having a second dielectric index lower than the first dielectric index, wherein the test solution is disposed in a container and comprises one or more target molecules, wherein when a tip of the optical waveguide is disposed in the test solution and excitation light is generated by the light source and transmitted by the optical waveguide so as to exit the tip, one or more target molecules in solution are excited by the excitation light to generate one or more excited target molecules, wherein there is a distance between the excited target molecules and the tip of the optical waveguide and said distance is less than one half of a wavelength λ of the excitation light; and wherein, (f) the optical waveguide is arranged to transmit fluorescent back radiation, generated by said one or more excited target molecules, along a second path to the photon detector detecting the transmitted fluorescent back radiation of said one or more excited target molecules.