Semiconductor nanoparticle fluorescent reagent and fluorescence determination method

Abstract

The present invention measures defect fluorescence exhibited from a defect level mainly on a semiconductor nanoparticle surface site which has an energy level existing inside the forbidden band of energy levels inside the semiconductor nanoparticle.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A fluorescent reagent, wherein defect fluorescence exhibited due to the presence of a defect level mainly on the surface site of a semiconductor nanoparticle is measured.  
     
     
         2 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluorescent reagent is used for biopolymer detection.  
     
     
         3 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 2 , wherein the biopolymer detection uses a DNA chip or a bead using hybridization.  
     
     
         4 . The reagent for biopolymer detection according to  claim 2 , wherein the biopolymer is a DNA.  
     
     
         5 . The reagent for biopolymer detection according to  claim 2 , wherein the biopolymer is a protein.  
     
     
         6 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluorescent reagent is used for vital observation.  
     
     
         7 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 6 , wherein the vital observation uses a semiconductor nanoparticle as a strain for a living tissue in cell technologies.  
     
     
         8 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticle is electrostatically bound to the biopolymer or living tissue via a modifying group.  
     
     
         9 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticle is chemically bound to the biopolymer or living tissue via a modifying group.  
     
     
         10 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 1 , wherein the surface of the semiconductor nanoparticle is modified with a functional group.  
     
     
         11 . The fluorescent reagent according to  claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticle is manufactured by a size-selective optical etching method.  
     
     
         12 . A fluorescence measurement method, wherein defect fluorescence which is exhibited due to the presence of a defect level mainly on the surface site of a semiconductor nanoparticle is measured.  
     
     
         13 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein defect fluorescence which is exhibited due to the presence of a defect level mainly on the surface site of a semiconductor nanoparticle is measured in a biopolymer detection method that detects the presence or absence of and amount of binding of a sample biopolymer to a probe biopolymer by electrostatically binding a positively or negatively charged semiconductor nanoparticle to a negative or positive charge of the sample biopolymer.  
     
     
         14 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 13 , wherein the biopolymer detection uses a DNA chip or bead using hybridization.  
     
     
         15 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 13 , wherein the biopolymer is a DNA.  
     
     
         16 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 13 , wherein the biopolymer is a protein.  
     
     
         17 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the method is used for vital observation.  
     
     
         18 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 17 , wherein the vital observation uses the semiconductor nanoparticle as a stain for a living tissue in cell technologies.  
     
     
         19 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticle surface is modified with a functional group.  
     
     
         20 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticle is manufactured by a size-selective optical etching method.  
     
     
         21 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the defect fluorescence is remarkably exhibited when the defect fluorescence is excited with excitation light of a wavelength deviated from an excitation wavelength at which fluorescence emitted from the band gap of the semiconductor nanoparticle exhibits a peak.  
     
     
         22 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the method is a multicolor analysis comprising measuring two or more types of defect fluorescence having different wavelengths by using two or more types of semiconductor nanoparticles to obtain two or more types of information.  
     
     
         23 . The fluorescence measurement method according to  claim 12 , wherein the method comprises measuring defect fluorescence having different spectra of the semiconductor nanoparticle by changing a wavelength of excitation light to obtain a difference between the different spectra, and correcting a measurement error based on the difference.