High sensitivity tunable radio frequency sensors

摘要

Highly sensitive and tunable RF sensors that provide detection and analysis of single cells and particles are provided. The tunable RF sensors are configured as tunable interferometers, wherein cells or particles to be analyzed are passed through a channel, such as a microfluidic channel, across waveguides corresponding to reference and test branches of the interferometers. A network analyzer coupled to the interferometers can be configured to measure a plurality of scattering parameters, such as transmission scattering coefficients (S21) of the reference and test branches, to evaluate characteristics of cells passing through the channel. A plurality of tunable interferometers may be employed, each interferometer operating in different frequency bands such that information obtain from the plurality of interferometers may be combined to provide further information.

主权项

1. An RF sensor for a material under test, comprising:
a plurality of interferometers, each interferometer comprising one or more fluidic channels each disposed across a reference branch and a test branch; the reference branch comprising a first waveguide and the test branch comprising a second waveguide; a first port associated with each of the plurality of interferometers, the first port configured to separate signals between a first transmission line and a second transmission line, the first transmission line operable to provide a reference RF signal to the first waveguide and the second transmission line operable to provide a test RF signal to the second waveguide; a second port associated with each of the plurality of interferometers, the second port configured to recombine signals from the first transmission line and the second transmission line; a signal analyzer coupled to the first port and the second port of each of the plurality of interferometers, the signal analyzer operable to measure one or more scattering parameters; wherein each of the plurality of interferometers is associated with a different frequency band range.