Patent ID: 7361259

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a capillary array comprising: providing a plurality of capillaries each being capable of being filled with a separation medium, each capillary including an inlet end portion that is capable of feeding a sample into the capillary and a light-illuminable portion that is capable of allowing the sample to be illuminated with light; arranging the plurality of capillaries substantially parallel to each other along a substantially flat plane; fixing a portion of the plurality of capillaries that are arranged substantially parallel to each other by hot-pressing a fixing member comprising a plastic film onto the plurality of capillaries; preparing a ribbon-shaped member formed by the plurality of substantially parallel capillaries; and arranging a detection cell comprising a side slot, at a location on the ribbon-shaped member separate from the fixing member, such that the detection cell is arranged substantially parallel to the light-illuminable portions of the plurality of capillaries and the side slot is aligned perpendicular to the light illuminable portion and parallel to the flat plane; wherein the fixing member is spaced apart from the detection cell, and the capillaries are arranged equally spaced and parallel from the fixing member to the detection cell, and inside the detection cell.