Abstract: A new method of seeking the presence of an analyte bound to a probe, wherein a periodic geometric pattern (24), constituting a diffractive system (2), is formed by alternating areas including a probe A, and areas not including the probe A. The diffractive system (2) is made to be diffractive before a sensitization step, i.e. a step during which a probe is temporarily brought into contact with a medium likely to contain an analyte and during which the possible analyte binds to the probe. The method includes at least the following steps: measurement of a power P1 of a first-order diffraction beam of a diffraction field produced by the diffractive system, with the probe unsensitized, sensitizing the probe A, measurement of a power P1a of a first-order diffraction beam of a diffraction field produced by the diffractive system, and comparison of the measured powers P1 and P1a.

Abstract: A stamp for depositing materials in the form of imprints on a surface of a substrate. The stamp includes a template and pins joined at one end to a first face of the template. The pins are arranged on the first face of the template so that the faces of all the pins joined to the template can be placed in contact virtually simultaneously on the surface of the substrate. The disclosed embodiments also relate to a method for fabricating the stamp and to a method for the virtually simultaneous deposition of a large number of imprints of identical or different materials on the surface of the substrate using the stamp, for an analysis.