SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE SYSTEMS AND METHODS HAVING A VARIABLE CHARGE DENSITY LAYER

摘要

A device (21) for detecting the presence of a member of a specific binding pair in a sample (11) includes a substrate (15) and a variable charge density layer (13) having a surface adjacent to the substrate (15) and a surface remote from the substrate (15). A first member (17) of a specific binding pair is on the surface of the variable charge density layer (13) remote from the substrate (15). The first member (17) interacts with a second member (19) of the specific binding pair present in a sample (11). The variable charge density layer (13) has a charge carrier density that can be changed by the application of light and/or an electric field, so that a plasmon band is produced by a reflected light source impinging on the variable charge density layer (13).