Patent ID: 7961330

Claim:
A sensor chip for mounting between a light source and a detector for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising: a light transmissive substrate; a functionalized surface plasmon resonant (SPR) element mounted on said substrate, said SPR element functionalized to bind with the target, where the SPR element includes a light transmissive bead formed in a geometric shape that can sustain periodic boundary conditions for a stationary plasmon resonance wave to travel across the outer surface thereof, and a pinhole is defined at the interface between said SPR element and the substrate; a housing formed of a light transmissive material and defining a fluid cavity for flowing the test fluid over said SPR element, said housing further defining at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet in communication with said cavity; and at least one micro-fluidic component associated with said housing and operable to control fluid flow through said cavity.