Patents by Inventor Stephen C. Shulz

Stephen C. Shulz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8344333
    Abstract: A photonic crystal substrate exhibiting resonant enhancement of multiple fluorophores has been demonstrated. The device, which can be fabricated uniformly from plastic materials over a ˜3×5 in2 surface area by nanoreplica molding, features a 1-D periodic grating structure which utilizes two distinct resonant modes to enhance electric field stimulation of a first dye excited by a first laser (e.g., ?=632.8 nm laser exciting cyanine-5) and a second dye excited by a second laser (e.g., ?=532 nm laser exciting cyanine-3). The first and second lasers could be replaced by a single variable wavelength (tunable) laser. Resonant coupling of the laser excitation to the photonic crystal surface is obtained for each wavelength at a distinct incident angle ?. The photonic crystal is capable of amplifying the output of any fluorescent dye with an excitation wavelength in a given wavelength range (e.g., the range 532 nm<?<660 nm) by selection of an appropriate incident angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignees: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, SRU Biosystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Meng Lu, Stephen C. Shulz, Brian T. Cunningham, Anusha Pokhriyal