Patent ID: 8039814

Claim:
A luminescence sensor, comprising: a metal structure having at least one aperture, the at least one aperture being configured for being filled with a medium, wherein ligands are immobilized in the aperture; at least one optically variable molecule present in the at least one aperture, an excitation radiation source positioned at a first side of the metal structure for irradiating said at least one aperture with TE polarized excitation radiation for exciting said at least one optically variable molecule with an evanescent field created inside the aperture, wherein the excitation radiation is suppressed by the at least one aperture from reaching a second side of the metal structure that is opposite to the first side of the metal structure; and a detector positioned at the first side of the metal structure for detecting luminescence radiation generated by said at least one optically variable molecule excited by the evanescent field, wherein the at least one aperture has a first lateral dimension that is greater than the diffraction limit of the excitation radiation in the medium, and wherein the at least one aperture has a second lateral dimension less than the diffraction limit of the excitation radiation in the medium.