Patent ID: 7211390

Claim:
A method for sequencing a nucleic acid, the method comprising: providing a substrate which comprises: a cavitated fiber optic wafer formed from a fused bundle of a plurality of individual optical fibers, each individual optical fiber having a diameter between 3 and 100 μm, the wafer comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface comprising at least 10,000 wells, wherein said wells are etched into the top surface of the cavitated fiber optic wafer and wherein the thickness of the wafer between the top surface and the bottom surface is between 0.5 mm and 5.0 mm in thickness; wherein the depth of each well ranges from between one half the diameter of an individual optical fiber and three times the diameter of an individual optical fiber; and wherein a plurality of wells on the top surface of the cavitated wafer have a nucleic acid therein; and a plurality of beads within wells on the top surface of the cavitated wafer, said beads having a pyrophosphate sequencing reagent attached thereto; delivering additional pyrophosphate sequencing reagents, including sequential delivery of nucleotide triphosphates, from one or more reservoirs to the flow chamber so the beads and nucleic acids in the wells on the top surface of the fiber optic wafer are exposed to the reagents; and detecting optical signals from each well using a detection means that is in communication with the wells, each optical signal being indicative of reaction of the pyrophosphate sequencing reagents with the nucleic acid in a well, thereby sequencing the nucleic acid.