Patent ID: 7573024

Claim:
Flexible photodetector array, comprising of: a first flexible polymer sheet coated with a continuous electrically conducting film forming one of an anode and a cathode electrode, a second flexible polymer sheet having a patterned coating of a electrically conducting film forming the other electrode, the patterned coating corresponding to a desired pattern of pixels, at least one of the first flexible polymer sheet coated with a continuous, electrically conducting film and the second flexible polymer sheet having a patterned coating of a electrically conducting film being substantially transparent; a thin film containing one or more layers of oriented purple membrane patches containing bacteriorhodopsin (bR), or an analog thereof, sandwiched between the first and second flexible polymer sheets with the electrically conducting film physically contacting one side of the thin film and the patterned coating of an electrically conducting film contacting an opposed side of the thin film to form a pixel array of sensing elements; and the continuous, electrically conducting film and the patterned coating of an electrically conducting film being electrically connected to a signal processing circuit.